Food funding envelope must be retained in full

Talks will open in Brussels today to reach agreement on the EU budget for the next seven years.

The heads of government are re-convening after they failed last November to agree on the Multi-Annual Financial Framework for 2014-2020.

For Ireland, the most important element of the discussion is the Common Agricultural Policy. The CAP budget is worth a potential €11bn to the Irish economy over the next seven years, and a positive outcome is vital to growth for farming and food.