She writes:
With the recent controversy surrounding the Brazilian meat industry, food standards were a key point on the agenda with many thinking current emergency measures - reinforced checks consisting of 100% physical and 20% microbiological checks - do not go far enough to ensure the quality and tractability of beef imports.
Elsewhere, Commissioner Hogan has recently orchestrated EU trade ‘missions’ to countries such as Mexico, China and Vietnam aimed at creating new markets for European farmers. Over the next year another two missions are expected, one to Canada and the other to Saudi Arabia and Iran. With the triggering of Article 50 this discussion was overshadowed by the knowledge that, depending on the outcome of trade negotiations between the EU and the UK, it seems likely that the UK will be competing for access to the same markets.
The issue of Brexit and how it will affect future trade sparked understandably strong debate. The Irish delegation emphasised their dependence on open borders with the UK, pointing out that centuries of trading between the two countries has meant their beef industry largely reflects UK market demand. In 2016 alone the UK imported nearly 250,000 tonnes - 70% of total beef imports - from Ireland.
It was clear many member states are extremely concerned about the possibility of huge volumes of Irish beef landing on the EU market if a free trade deal cannot be agreed; the Polish delegate called such an outcome “a major crisis.” In the face of such concern, working party Chair, Jan Pierre Fleury, expressed intentions to visit Ireland, Northern Ireland and the UK shortly in order to better understand the flow of trade between the two countries.