Fine Gael lauds farming bodies for Nice support
Mr Kenny, welcoming the decision of the main farming organisations to support the Treaty, said that a Yes vote would strengthen Ireland's negotiating position in the forthcoming reform of the Common Agricultural Policy(CAP).
Many farmers have expressed very real concerns about their future, largely as a result of narrow and bureaucratic interpretations and implementation of existing EU Directives. Farmers are also very concerned about EU Agricultural Commissioner Franz Fischler's proposals for changes in the CAP.
Mr Kenny said Fine Gael has been active in explaining to farmers that, while he understands their genuine fears in relation to these issues, they are not connected to the Nice Treaty.
"I believe that if Ireland votes Yes to the Nice Treaty, we will be in a far stronger negotiating position in the future," he said.
"Not only will a Yes vote reinforce our European credentials, it will also facilitate the enlargement of the European Union to take in many extra small member states, states with which we can build alliances in future negotiations."
But the Green Party leader Trevor Sargent said a Yes vote among farmers is like a turkey voting for Christmas.
"A No vote is a vote to make a stand and save Irish agriculture from low-standard imports and low prices which will make farm survival impossible for many.
"Let us strengthen our position going into the intergovernmental conference of 2004 by telling the EU Commission that democracy and sustainability are important to Irish farmers and to all EU citizens and, because of this, the Nice Treaty is unacceptable," he said.
Justice, Equality and Law Reform Minister Michael McDowell, accompanied by Minister of State Tom Parlon, dispelled what he described as the myth that the Nice Treaty would adversely affect Ireland's position at the centre of EU decision-making.
"I am firmly of the belief that the decisions taken at Nice in relation to institutional change protect rather threaten our essential interests," he said.
Foreign Minister Brian Cowan said a Yes vote makes far more sense than any other alternative.
But the ICSA president Charlie Reilly said it is clear that the Government and the EU need to make a major effort to convince farmers that their futures will be secure in an enlarged Europe.
