Fischler proposals 'offer new hope for farmers’

THE Fischler proposals for the Common Agricultural Policy are an opening offer and present a chance to restructure the Irish farming industry, the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association has claimed.

ICSA Munster vice-president Martin Coughlan said the proposals provide Agriculture Minister Joe Walsh with an opportunity to drive a hard bargain for Irish farmers and put a floor under an industry which is quickly going down the drain: "The biggest factor affecting beef prices is the level of self-sufficiency of beef in Europe.

Too much production or too little consumption results in poor prices. The present CAP provides an automatic guarantee that there will be over production.