Coveney: CAP remains a top priority for Government in EU budget talks

Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney has underlined that the Common Agricultural Policy remains a top priority for the Irish Government in the discussion on the EU’s seven-year budget.

Mr Coveney was responding to a new document on the budget from the Cyprus EU presidency, which shows a cut of almost 5% from the Commission’s original budget proposals. The Government has consistently supported the Commission’s multi-annual proposals.

Mr Coveney said: “I am concerned that the proposals from the presidency show a 2% cut in the allocation for CAP — although I do acknowledge that this is less than the cuts proposed for other budget headings following intense pressure from Ireland and some other member states.