Trade Agreements
Dail Éireann — 2026-10-01
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Helen McEntee (FG), Meath East

Any way in which we can highlight our produce that is home grown and directly connected to our food producers is a win-win for everyone here. I am not just talking about whiskey. I am also talking about food and other types of spirits we produce. There is a connectedness and when it comes to source to product, our country is seen as green, sustainable and one that applies the highest standards across the board. Therefore, we should take every opportunity we have to highlight our produce, farmers and excellent agrifood industry.
We want to expand and grow, so with 39% of our whiskey going to the US, there is an opportunity with zero tariffs to do even more, but we also want to make sure at the same time that we are advocating for produce at a European level because tariffs do not benefit anyone. They do not benefit the producers, individual countries or consumers or buyers of the products. We need to focus on how we can advocate for our industries at home and at a European level and that is exactly what I will be doing in the upcoming informal trade meeting, to which I will welcome colleagues from across the EU and from other parts of the world, and where the focus on the US and other countries will be a particular emphasis.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-10-01/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:01:00+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-10-01