Smith says visit of agriculture commissioner vital to CAP talks

THE new European Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Dacian Ciolos will visit Ireland on July 12 and 13 at the invitation of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister Brendan Smith.

Mr Smith said the visit will take place immediately before an important European Union conference on the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after 2013 and will give Ireland the opportunity to present its position at this very important juncture.

He said he launched a public consultation on the CAP post-2013 last July, and invited written submissions to be made to the department. Sixty submissions have been received.