Taoiseach defends the CAP

TAOISEACH Bertie Ahern used the occasion of the country’s oldest show at Piltown in Co Kilkenny to outline a cogent defence of the Common Agricultural Policy, the rock on which European farming is founded.

In a 2,550 word analysis he rejected arguments made against the CAP in recent months by critics, including British Prime Minister Tony Blair, and underlined how it still has a vital role to play in the modern Europe.

It was a timely intervention by the Taoiseach as Governments across Europe resume duties following the summer holidays and as world trade talks enter a crucial phase ahead of a ministerial meeting in Hong Kong in December.