Farmers 'threatened' by Cap reform plans

FARMERS FELT threatened by the Common Agricultural Policy (Cap) reform proposals, Fianna Fáil agriculture spokesman Michael Moynihan told the Dáil.

There had been much discussion about the contents and a great deal of text involved.

“It is almost as if the EU is attempting to micro-manage agriculture down to the minutest detail in each member state,’’ he said.

“The department, the Minister, his officials and the Oireachtas must be proactive in getting the best deal for Irish agriculture.’’

He said the proposals would form the bedrock of agriculture in the coming years.

At a time when there was food scarcity, and food security was required, the 7 per cent setaside would need to be highlighted.

“Taking a cross-section of the farmers with whom I spoke yesterday and today, these proposals will affect some people badly due to stacked entitlements.’’

He was referring particularly to cattle farmers, he said.

“They built up good entitlements in the 2000-2002 reference period before consolidating their holdings and making prudent decisions on the management of their farms,’’ he added.

“We are trying to support the high-end beef industry in every way, shape and form, but the farmers in question have significant concerns about the proposals.’’

Sinn Féin’s Michael Colreavy said it was already clear that key areas of the reforms required greater analysis and discussion.

“These are the size of the Cap budget, the distribution among and within member states, the future basis for payments to farmers, the greening of Pillar One and regional flexibility and simplification,’’ he added.

Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney said what existed were only proposals, not final texts, and negotiations would follow.