Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

In many ways, this is the most important debate of my period as Minister. To discuss the Commission's proposals is of significant importance. That is why I requested that we debate the proposals in the House rather than relying on press releases or PR spin. This is also why, this morning, I sent every Deputy a detailed analysis of the Commission document. I hope all Deputies received that and that it helped to inform their contributions. I will continue to do this. I do not want to manoeuvre party political advantage. As I receive information and as we develop ideas I will try to be as open and transparent as I can be and to take people's ideas on board.

We are talking about the future of 128,000 farm families, many of whom rely heavily on income from schemes supported by the European Union, particularly the single farm payment. During the period of the next Common Agricultural Policy, payments of approximately €12 billion will come into Ireland. This is a significant contribution to the Irish economy. In reviewing the Common Agricultural Policy, we are trying to modernise farming and develop our thinking as to how farming should be done and how food should be produced in the European Union.

Deputy Luke Flanagan and others said they thought the European Union has been inconsistent and that policy has changed. This is true. Policy has changed and it will change again in the future because food production and the food debate changes. Seven or eight years ago, the European Union was trying to create an artificial market for food production, to keep supply down and demand up, to keep prices up and to import the excess food we needed cheaply from other parts of the world. There is now an entirely different debate. We are talking about food security and how we can ensure that Europe can feed itself and make a contribution to feeding people in other parts of the world who cannot feed themselves at present. Countries we currently import from will not be able to export in five or ten years time when their own populations grow and they struggle to feed themselves, never mind export cheaply to Europe. The food debate and food security debate change. The environmental debate changes. The climate change debate did not exist 15 years ago. It is now becoming a huge, and potentially limiting, factor for food production in the European Union and further afield.

As new challenges, obstacles and opportunities emerge policies must respond to them. The Common Agricultural Policy is about responding to the food needs of consumers in the European Union and further afield and trying to support a farming and agricultural base that can meet those needs over the next seven years or so. The European Commission has got it right in terms of its proposals to support young farmers, keeping in place the envelope rather than reducing it and in regard to capping and so on. However, in some areas it has got it wrong and we will have to change that. It is my job and that of Members to ensure we get a decision and conclusion to the CAP debate that makes sense for Ireland.

The job of the EU is to put on the table a policy proposal that is based on a common agricultural policy review for half a billion people in 27 member states. Members cannot expect that everything in that proposal will be tailor made for Ireland. It will not. However, it is a starting point. The EU puts in place a policy across the Union following which countries must then lobby, negotiate, use their skills and influence and build alliances and understanding in discussions and debate on specific areas of concern. Ireland has specific areas of concern. We are unique in the EU in terms of the percentage of food we produce that needs to be exported.

We are also unique in the EU in terms of our levels of ambition for the agri-food industry. As I understand it, Ireland is the only country that has a comprehensive growth template, namely, Food Harvest 2020 which the entire industry, including farmers, processors, food companies and Government buy into. We now need to tailor what is a broad based document, which seeks to provide a solution for CAP reform across the Union, for Irish farmers and Irish specific concerns. The big issue is how we redistribute single farm payment funds within Ireland. We need to have this debate in a way that does not cause huge division in rural Ireland.

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