Madam, - It was with great regret that I read of Mr John Dillon's speech to the Irish Farmers' Association (The Irish Times January 14th).
We believe his comments were both unhelpful to the greater debate on the way forward for agriculture in Ireland and confusing to his members. It is not Oxfam that "cannot distinguish between the genuine needs of poor farmers in the least developed countries and the demands of ranchers and plantation owners in Argentina, Brazil, Australia and New Zealand". Rather, it is the CAP's dumping of surplus commodities. This system indiscriminately rains down highly subsidised products on the markets of poor farmer and rancher alike, resulting in the destruction of livelihoods across the global south.
Unfortunately the system of support which we have in Europe also fails to discriminate adequately between the genuine needs of poor farmers and farmers who are much better off.
The structure of CAP payments is massively skewed toward the largest farmers in Europe, and the recent CAP reform did little to change this. These sometimes obscene subsidies continue to cause immense damage and suffering to farm families overseas. Oxfam is calling for fairness for all farmers. It should not be necessary for Irish farmers to earn their living at the cost of such suffering.
In developing our views on how the Common Agricultural Policy ought to be reformed, Oxfam has met farmer organisations and politicians throughout Ireland. We will continue, as always, to seek constructive engagement with these organisations to see how we can fashion a system that can provide sustainable livelihoods for farmers both in Ireland and in the developing world. - Yours, etc.,
COLIN ROCHE, Advocacy Officer, Oxfam Ireland, Burgh Quay, Dublin 2.