IFA urges Taoiseach to stop sell-out
He said he also urged Mr Ahern to stop the sell-out of Irish farm families by EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson and to stand with French President Jacques Chirac in opposing the latest EU offers in the talks.
Mr Dillon said British Prime Minister Tony Blair had tried many times to destroy the Common Agricultural Policy in the past 10 years.
“The British have failed to destroy CAP within Europe and are now offering such ridiculous concessions that it is quite clear neither Tony Blair nor Peter Mandelson is engaged in negotiations. They are engaged in a sell-out.
“The new CAP is not one year in existence and the British are back again, breaking their word,” he said, warning that Irish farm income will be cut by €800 million if the Mandelson proposals go ahead.
“Under Mandelson, Europe will become the dumping ground of the world food market where there will be no control over quality, no tagging and no food traceability,” he added.
Mr Dillon warned that the consequences of such a policy would be greater exposure to food and mouth disease, swine fever, avian flu.
“What we will get is over 30 months beef, produced by slave labour and full of hormones.”
