Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)

I would like some clarification. We have to face the fact that we are entering difficult times in terms of Ireland's place at the heart of Europe. A great deal could have been done to inform people. In particular, we should have ensured that farmers understood the implications of a "No" vote. I do not believe that was done. I wonder why we did not hear from the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food during the debate on the Lisbon treaty. If I understand it correctly, the mandate given by the EU to Commissioner Mandelson for the WTO talks is based on the 2003 CAP reforms. We are due to have a CAP health check later this year. That will ultimately form the basis of the final deal that is done at WTO level, which will affect the farming industry in this country. My most significant fear is that the interests of Irish farmers have been exposed, as a result of the rejection of the treaty in last Friday's referendum. How do the Minister and his Government colleagues plan to deal with the exposure of the Irish farming industry, in the context of the WTO talks?

See this speech in context