INTERVIEW: Simon Coveney has found himself overseeing one of the few departments where optimism is justified
SIMON COVENEY has possibly the mildest and most hesitant manner of all 15 Cabinet Ministers but ironically he is far more direct and outspoken than many of his colleagues who give the appearance of being direct and outspoken.
It was Coveney’s tweet that opened the floodgates on Brian Cowen’s infamous “GargleGate” moment; he was one of the first of the senior spokespeople to declare he would be voting against Enda Kenny during Fine Gael’s leadership crisis in June 2010; and he has become the most senior figure in the Coalition to readily accept that there has been “friction” between his party and Labour.
“I do not sit on the fence,” he says, when recalling the leadership tussle. He admits he got it wrong when claiming that Kenny could not lead the party into a general election but says he had always maintained that Kenny would be a successful taoiseach.
He believes that some politicians are more suited to government than to opposition. Kenny is one such. So, indeed, is he, he says.
“I found it very frustrating in opposition. My approach is to try to build things rather than pull them down. I liked putting alternative policies together like New Era [the expansive plan to reinvent Ireland’s utilities].
“I found it very frustrating that when you did that it went nowhere, or, as often happens, government picked and chose ideas from opposition and then claimed them as its own.”
Coveney’s brief in opposition was communications and energy and there was a mild frisson of surprise when he was announced as the new Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine. So did he get the wrong ministry? “Not at all. Given the choice, I have the one that I asked for. I have a science degree in agriculture. I come from a farm and have a deep interest in the food industry. I’ve grown up on boats and have a huge affinity with the sea and marine issues.”
Coveney says he is “lucky to be giving political leadership to a growth sector in the middle of our difficulties”. He points to the ambitious plans for expansion and growth contained in the department’s key long-term strategic policy: Food Harvest 2020.
With a big hike in commodity prices this year, the food sector has a “phenomenal potential” for growth, with new types of food and food products in both the farming and marine sectors.
The Minister says the agricultural export market is divided into 44 per cent to the UK; 34 per cent to Europe; 22 per cent to the rest of the world.
“That balance will change. In the rest of the world with population growth and with increasing prosperity, they will move from carbohydrate to protein and will begin consuming more dairy and meat.”
He said he has been impressed by how New Zealand – a country seen as similar to Ireland – has found lucrative routes to market. Its milk exports have increased from five billion litres a year in the mid-1980s to 19 billion litres now. He said Ireland can do that, freed as it is from the “straitjacket” of quotas. He sees potential in all sectors under his charge, from new cheese products to new functional foods, from the potential for offshore fish farming to expansion in high-quality beef production – another key area of growth.
“There is a lot of strategic thinking around agriculture as farmers make the move towards making more income from the markets and being less reliant on support,” he said.
And what of the straitjacket of the bailout programme? Coveney’s view of Kenny is unsurprisingly upbeat.
“He is a natural optimist and has huge energy. He has a very positive personality that works better in government.
“He is trusting and has faith in other people to deliver in their portfolios. I have been given a free rein in agriculture without anyone looking over my shoulder.”
The Government has also achieved considerable policy successes at international level under Kenny, he argues.
He says the early recapitalisation move creating two pillar banks was vital. He also claims significant concessions on interest rates and on bank debts, claims that have been strongly challenged by critics. Did not the interest rate concession happen by default?
“I am not saying that Enda Kenny forced a U-turn. He was patient. When the Greek collapse intensified in the summer, there was a significant change in circumstances.
“In that context Ireland got a much better deal. You take the blame when things go wrong. So I think credit is due to the Taoiseach and the Minister for Finance in this situation,” he argues.
On burden-sharing, he defends the Government decision to face the realities and “make a judgment call” between short-term political gain and long-term funding. When it is put to him that several of his Cabinet colleagues had cavilled before the election at the notion of more money going to the banks, he responds by signalling patience is required.
“You can pick out quotes from individuals but the Government has done everything that it reasonably can. This is a long journey here . . . In the medium to long term we are aggressively doing it . . . There’s a thought process and a strategy behind our approach to the broader debt burden.”
BIOGRAPHY
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Age: 39
Constituency: Cork South Central
Education: Clongowes Wood; UCC; Royal Agriculture College, Gloucester.
Family: Married to Ruth. They have two young daughters, Beth and Jessica. He has been a TD since 1998 when he won a byelection, following the death of his father Hugh.
Outside politics: He is a keen rugby fan and also an experienced sailor. He was involved with his family in an around-the-world sailing voyage for charity in 1997 and 1998.