Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 22 May 2013
227. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will examine a submission on the Common Agricultural Policy ; his views on the logical propositions detailed in the document; if he will endeavour to secure these proposals in his capacity as chairman of the informal talks among European agriculture Ministers regarding CAP reform in Dublin in the near future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24598/13]
View answerI have examined the briefing note prepared by the Irish Farmers Association regarding CAP reform and I agree with many, though not all, of the points made.
As President of the European Council of Agriculture Ministers, my current objective is to secure an inter-institutional political agreement with the European Parliament and the Commission by the end of June. Given the range of views at the table, it is clear that the final agreement will involve a number of compromises. I hope to be able to navigate a course through these diverging positions in the coming weeks and settle on a compromise acceptable to all Member States and to the two other institutions at the negotiating table.
I will avail of the opportunity afforded by the informal meeting of Agriculture Ministers in Dublin next week to engage in informal consultations with my Member State colleagues and to ascertain the scope for exploring landing zones with a view to achieving an inter-institutional CAP agreement that is good for Europe and good for Ireland.
