Strong Yes from farmers stressed

AS THE agriculture sector assessed the impact of its street protest in Dublin on Thursday, Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan…

AS THE agriculture sector assessed the impact of its street protest in Dublin on Thursday, Minister for Agriculture Mary Coughlan stressed the need for a strong Yes vote from farmers.

The farm organisations are linking the outcome of world trade talks in Geneva in May to support for, or opposition to, the Lisbon Treaty on June 12th.

Stressing the Government's commitment to a balanced WTO agreement, the Minister said that a Yes vote would greatly strengthen Ireland's negotiating position in the forthcoming Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) "Health Check" later this year.

"Important issues such as increased modulation and continued simplification of the CAP are key issues to be addressed in these talks to be concluded," she said. She reminded the farming community of the benefits it received from the EU - €41 billion in funding and supports between 1973 and 2006.

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The CAP would deliver €12 billion up to 2013, of which an estimated €10 billion would be used to fund the single payment scheme and market supports such as export refunds and intervention.

However, Seán Ó Neachtain, the FF MEP who is the only Irish member on the European Parliament steering group committee on the WTO talks, said conditions for a balanced agreement did not exist at present, and that European Commission president José Manuel Barroso must give personal attention to the negotiating strategy of Commissioner for External Trade Peter Mandelson.