The Minister for Agriculture, Mr Joe Walsh, has emphatically rejected the European Commission’s proposals to cut farming subsidies by up to 20 per cent.
Mr Walsh, who was addressing this afternoon’s meeting of the European Commission on the mid-term review of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), said there would be no negotiating.
"Ireland," he said, "would not agree to any proposals which would reduce supports for agriculture."
Today’s meeting follows the announcement last week by the European Commission that it wants to reform the CAP, in particular the production-related subsidies which it intends to discontinue.
The EU’s farm policy, worth €40 billion a year, is coming under mounting pressure as the 15-nation bloc prepares to admit up to 10 new members and enter a new round of talks aimed at breaking down global trade barriers.
Irish farm organisations have welcomed Mr Walsh’s intervention and said his position was the benchmark with which any future negotiations on CAP would be conducted.
Mr Pat O’ Rourke, president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICSMA), who was present during Mr Walsh’s speech said he was happy with the position the Minister was taking, but said the Minister’s hand would have been straightened had the Taoiseach made a public statement opposing the cuts.
"If the proposed cuts go through it will be an absolute disaster for Irish farming," Mr O'Rourke told ireland.com.
"Present farming policy was outlined in Berlin in 1999 which envisioned a gradual reworking of subsidy levels until 2006.
"Farmers have been working within those guidelines until now - but they’re now expected to change in mid flow and accept that."
According to Mr O’Rourke, negotiations will fall between two extremes. On one hand, he said, there is the British position which is that the cuts don’t go far enough; on the other there is the Irish position.
"What we are looking at is the persecution of farmers by the UK agenda," Mr O’Rourke said.
Today’s meeting will continue until late this evening, but it is unlikely that the detailed negotiations will take place until after the summer recess, sometime in September.