Farmers urged to view environmental community as allies in CAP campaign

THE farming community needs to start looking at the environmental community as allies in the fight to maintain a strong, well-funded Common Agricultural Policy.

That’s the view of Ireland South European Parliament member Alan Kelly, who hosted a conference on the CAP at Tipperary Institute in Thurles yesterday.

Mr Kelly said Ireland needs all the friends it can get in Europe.

Many countries, such as Britain and Holland, are not enthusiastic supporters of the CAP.

Eastern European countries are coming together to see if they can get a greater share of the CAP budget, possibly at the expense of Ireland, and Ireland’s traditional ally, France, may not be as warm towards CAP as it once was, he said.

Mr Kelly said he believes not in a CAP that provides indiscriminate subsidies to large farmers and companies but one that protects the family farm structure while encouraging innovation, sustainability and quality.

The Labour Party MEP disclosed that a sample survey has revealed over two-thirds of Irish farmers feel climate change is a threat.

“CAP must be part of the solution to the issue of climate change, especially as farmers are the primary managers of the land. It will also help us protect the CAP budget,” he said.

Mr Kelly said farming can become one of the most environmentally sustainable forms of economic activity.

It is estimated that European soil has the ability to capture 70 billion tonnes of carbon but this will only be done through well-managed systems where the farmer is provided with an incentive to conserve soil and water.

“The climate change matter will be one where both the environmental community and the farming community will see eye-to-eye,” he said.

With temperatures rising and many southern European countries experiencing drought, Ireland could be one of the major suppliers of milk to the EU, he said.