CAP Future PDF Print E-mail
Written by Cian MacSweeny   
Sunday, 30 November 2008
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Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith said it is vital that we maintain a strong agricultural production base in the European Union. Minister Smith was speaking at a wide-ranging discussion on the future of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) which took place on Friday at a specially convened meeting of Agriculture Ministers in Brussels.
The Minister said: “We face daunting challenges ahead in meeting increasing demands for food, in addressing climate change, in reconciling our need to reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions with our desire to produce more food, in managing our natural resources and in meeting changes in consumer demands. We must also be mindful of increased market instability and higher risks of animal and plant disease.”

Adding to this, Minister Smith warned that any drop in food production in the EU would be taken up elsewhere where less efficient production systems are in place and would lead to a bigger carbon footprint. Minister Smith said: “We must ensure that the EU's policy objectives for the agriculture and food sector are upheld in the Climate Change debate.”

Minister Smith stressed that there would be a continuing need for an active, and aptly resourced European agricultural policy to reach these goals and to help our farmers and processors adapt to the new and emerging challenges.

Brendan Smith also called for the continuation of fixed decoupled payments and to permit Member States enough flexibility to reconcile the differing needs of Member States. Minister Smith also emphasised the need for effective rural development programmes which play an important role in regional development and in the protection of the environment and the huge importance of equivalent standards for imports from outside the EU.



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