The Agriculture Minister has been urged by Tipperary Senator Garret Ahearn to stand up to the EU Agriculture Commissioner at CAP negotiations this week.
Speaking in the Seanad this morning, Minister Charlie McConalogue said his key objective is to ensure that Ireland can have significant autonomy over the CAP details in the future.
The EU’s Agriculture Ministers meet in Brussels this week to finalise further details on the Common Agricultural Policy, with a growing focus on sustainable farming.
Addressing Minister McConalogue, Senator Ahearn said the plan must support productive and sustainable farmers.
“This is what I get from farmers right across Tipperary is that you stand up as Minister to the Commissioner because there is a feeling that the Commissioner doesn’t have the farmers interests at heart and that you represent the Irish farmers and farmers in Tipperary as strongly as possible.”
“In the last CAP negotiations in Tipperary we lost about €13 million and the potential is that we could lose €7.5 million if the convergence happens again and this is hugely damaging to our industry.”
