Irish farmers have nothing to fear from proposed changes to the Common Agricultural Policy (Cap), the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mariann Fischer Boel, told the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) today.
Speaking at the IFA's agm, Ms Fischer Boel called on members to contribute to the debate on the proposals, which include changes to the single payment scheme to farmers, plans to modernise market support instruments, including milk quotas, and the system of cross compliance.
Ms Fischer Boel said the Commission was aiming for a "soft landing" when the current milk quota system ran out in 2015, with further increases in quotas likely between now and then.
"There seems to be a fear in some parts of the European Union that the Health Check is about 'liberalisation without rules', or something of the sort. This is absolutely not true. Within the Health Check, we're not trying to choose between black and white. Our options aren't limited to heavy-handed regulation of markets on the one hand, or free-for-all liberalisation on the other hand," she said.
"We're looking for pragmatic, balanced solutions that work in the real world."
Ms Fischer Boel warned that further efforts would have to be made in fighting climate changes, and said that more money would be needed in the rural development budget to meet the challenges presented. This could be achieved with what was described as a "moderate" increase in modulation, which is the transfer of money from direct payments into the Rural Development budget.
"We have already curbed greenhouse gas emissions from farming - these now account for 9 per cent of the European total - but we will have to go further," she said.
The proposals were unveiled by the Commission in November, and legislative proposals are due to be finalised in May.