Coveney to seek EU allies on farm issues

AGRICULTURE Minister Simon Coveney goes to Paris today seeking French support for Ireland’s position on farm subsidies and beef imports — but he is warning the country will not be bullied into compromising on corporation tax.

The country’s food industry is facing huge challenges from EU plans to allow big beef-producing South American Mercusor countries export into the EU and from a campaign to cut the amount of money in the common agriculture policy (CAP).

But he received no good news about the trade talks with the Mercusor countries from the Agriculture Commissioner, Dacian Ciolos when he visited him in Brussels yesterday.