Irish farmers should lead a mass protest across the EU at demands for new talks on the Common Agricultural Policy (Cap), the deputy president of the Irish Farmers' Association said yesterday.
Ruaidhrí Deasy warned yesterday that any backtracking on Cap would lead to "total and absolute uproar".
"Farmers will not stand for it. I will lead a pan-European protest in which the IFA and all other EU farming organisations will shake the EU to its foundations."
He said the 2002 Cap deal was legally-binding. "A contract is a contract. It is a legally-binding agreement that millions of farmers in the EU signed up to.
"To have a contract torn up while farmers across Europe are trying to work within its framework is not only unfair but illegal, and the fight could be taken to the European courts themselves."
Mr Deasy added: "For the EU to survive in the years ahead it must be able to produce as much as it consumes. A secure supply of safe food, jobs, alternative sources of fuel, raw materials and a clean environment are key components in any sustainable model for our future."
"A strong farm and rural sector is therefore vital for all of us. It is high time we woke up and recognised that fact," he said.