The Irish Farmers Association will meet the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, on Friday to outline "major concerns of farmers ahead of the Nice Treaty" and proposals for the mid-term review of the Common Agricultural Policy in Brussels.
A statement from IFA headquarters in Dublin yesterday said its president, Mr John Dillon, would be informing the Taoiseach that the IFA would take a leadership role in favour of a Yes vote in the Nice Treaty referendum.
However, it said Mr Dillon would outline the need for measures dealing with the level of EU regulation and bureaucracy, the mid-term CAP review, the nitrates directives and the pressure on farm incomes. Such measures were necessary to convince farmers that Europe was listening to their concerns.
"Many farmers are dissatisfied about aspects of EU policies, such as red tape and regulation which are making life unnecessarily difficult for them," said Mr Dillon's statement. "They are worried about the mid-term review proposals to be revealed by Commissioner Fischler next week which will cut direct payments by 20 per cent."
He said farmers were feeling insecure about the future funding of the Common Agricultural Policy to meet the cost of enlarging the EU after 2006.
"The Irish Farmers Association will negotiate on all these issues, but the Taoiseach must be made aware of the deep level of concern among farmers and their families on these issues and the need for a positive response from the Government to allay farmers' fears and reassure them their concerns are being heard by Government and in Brussels," he said.
Mr Dillon added that he would put a number of proposals to the Taoiseach on the farm income problem, on red tape and on the mid-term review.
The Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh, and the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, are expected to attend the meeting with the Taoiseach.