Minister Cannot Agree to Sellout of Irish Farmers in CAP Talks

• Nothing is agreed, but talks are going backwards

IFA President Tim Cullinan said that Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue cannot sign up to the CAP reform that is emerging from Brussels.

Speaking after he met the Minister this morning in Brussels, he said that while nothing has been agreed yet, the talks are going backwards, not forward.

“The EU Agriculture Commissioner is trying to turn the CAP into a social welfare payment rather than supporting farmers for producing food,” he said.

“The Commissioner and the EU Parliament want to spread the money to keep a larger number of farmers in poverty. Only one third of farmers in Ireland are viable. If the EU get their way, we will have no viable farm families,” he said.

“The EU Agriculture Commissioner Wojciechowski wants to put commercial farmers out of business by cutting their payments. If that doesn’t work the Commission intends to finish us off with restrictions and regulations,” he said.

“Unfortunately, farming has become a minority sport in other member states, but it’s the backbone of the Irish economy. It is time for our Minister to call a halt to the nonsense,” he said.

“Nothing has been agreed yet.  The Minister should shout stop now until an air of reality is brought to matters,” he said

“The EU Commission set out on a journey in these negotiations to give member states more flexibility. But now we have an Agriculture Commissioner who wants to remove member state flexibility that existed in the last CAP. It is a complete contradiction and it’s time to stop the charade,” he said.