EU ministers in crunch talks on changes to farm payments

The most vital negotiations for years on the future of EU payments for farmers begin this morning in Brussels with member states going head to head on the €400bn budget.

Ireland has secured €1.5bn a year for agriculture or €11bn over the seven-year period of the CAP. Overall, despite massive pressure to reduce the proportion of the EU’s budget that goes to agriculture, the final cut was 3% compared to a proposed 7%.

The meeting will be chaired by Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney who says he hopes the outcome “will protect agriculture and the agri-food industry as the most important contributor to the Irish economy, reaffirming its status at the heartbeat of rural Ireland”.