Fischler proposals 'offer new hope for farmers’
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.
"It is inevitable that the Eastern European countries will become part of the EU. These farmers will be premia hungry and, if the present CAP were introduced into the candidate countries, there would be further flooding of the market resulting in lower beef prices and the total disappearance of the small Irish beef farmer.
"But Fischler's proposals, if adopted, have the potential to ensure that Irish farmers will not lose. These are proposals, which Ireland needs to work with and not against. Indeed, 74% of ICSA members surveyed see potential in Fischler's proposals".
Mr Coughlan said the ICSA is calling for Minister Walsh to grasp this opportunity and to make the necessary preparations for some hard bargaining.
ICSA is calling on the Minister immediately to convene the CAP committee, which comprises the farm organisations, in order to debate the issue: "Proper debate of the real issues is needed, rather than the current misinformation and speculation, which is being used to muddy the waters surrounding the likely effect of the proposals.
“There is nothing in the proposals to suggest either a winding down of agriculture or farmers being paid to do nothing. This is a line currently being used to damage the reputation of farming."
Mr Coughlan said these proposals should be used to negotiate a better deal for young farmers.
Clearly the current system of expensive and restrictive quotas is prohibiting the entry of young farmers and the Fischler proposals offer an opportunity to go back to the drawing board in relation to new entrants into farming.
"For the benefit of Irish farming everything needs to be put on the table to let serious debate begin to stop this rot," he said.
