The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has reassured farm leaders that he will protect Irish farming interests in the review of the Common Agricultural Policy which is scheduled to begin next week.
The talks are taking place against the backdrop of the Government's campaign for a Yes vote from the farm organisations in the Nice referendum. This gave those organisations the opportunity to raise current difficulties, including farm incomes, the bad weather, the introduction of the EU nitrates directives and EU enlargement.
The president of the Irish Farmers Association, Mr John Dillon, said the Taoiseach had indicated he would join the French government in opposing the proposals to reform rather than review the policy.
The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association President, Mr Pat O'Rourke, said he too had been given a commitment from the Taoiseach to defend the Agenda 2000 agreement made at the Berlin summit.
Mr Ahern's statement confirmed that his position in the negotiations on these proposals was to protect the benefits to Irish agriculture of Agenda 2000. On Nice, it quoted him as saying: "I warmly welcome the support of both the IFA and the ICMSA to support the Government's call for a Yes vote in the next referendum to ratify the Nice Treaty.
"Ratification of the Treaty of Nice by all 15 member-states is essential for the European Union to enlarge and enlargement is the single most important challenge currently facing the Union.
"The successful conclusion of the enlargement negotiations with up to 10 new members is the main priority for the Danish presidency of the EU. The Government will be seeking in the forthcoming mid-term review of the CAP to ensure that the full benefits to Ireland of the Berlin outcome are maintained," he said.
The Taoiseach said he and the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, had acknowledged the difficulties facing farm families because of the market situation particularly for dairy products and the continuing bad weather.
The IFA said this acknowledgement of the problems caused by bad weather had yielded a commitment to them that Teagasc, the agriculture and food development authority, would carry out a viability study on farms hardest hit by the weather.
Mr Dillon said the Taoiseach had also agreed there should be a major review of the Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS) by the Department which would assist farmers in complying with the nitrates directive and help the Government to reach its target of getting 70,000 farmers to join the scheme.
He said that getting farmers to vote Yes to the Nice Treaty would be "an uphill struggle unless some of these major issues are dealt with".
However, he rejected suggestions that the farm organisations were blackmailing the Government with a possible No vote and said the IFA had already taken a decision to vote Yes in the referendum.
"I agree with the Taoiseach's assessment that Ireland's influence in the EU would be fatally damaged if there were to be a second No vote," said Mr Dillon.
Mr O'Rourke said he was satisfied with the commitments given by the Taoiseach in defending the benefits of the Agenda 2000 but there were current issues which had to be addressed.
"We cannot come out of the Agenda 2000 review with less funding than before," he said.
He said ICMSA had impressed on the Taoiseach that losses so far this year were €50 million and this was a major issue which had to be addressed.
"We need the ammunition to persuade the farmers to vote Yes in the referendum," said Mr O'Rourke.