Minister Heydon chairs Informal Meeting of Agriculture Ministers

The meeting included site visits yesterday to locations in Kildare which were framed around the meeting's core theme of 'sustainable livestock'. Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, today chaired the Informal Meeting of Agriculture Ministers at Dublin Castle. The meeting brought together the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen, and agriculture ministers from across the European Union to discuss key issues facing the sector, with a particular focus on the role of sustainable livestock in European agriculture. Commenting today, Minister Heydon said: 'I was pleased to welcome Commissioner Hansen and my EU counterparts to Dublin Castle for this Informal Meeting of Agriculture Ministers. Livestock farming remains central to European food security, farm incomes, rural communities and the wider agri-food economy. At a critical moment for European agriculture, we must work together to ensure that the sector remains competitive, sustainable and resilient. The Commission's Livestock Strategy and Protein Action Plan provide an important framework for responding to these challenges, and this is an area that the Irish Presidency will work to progress.'