The following motion was moved by Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív on Tuesday, 7 October 2014:That Dáil Éireann:notes:— the importance of agriculture as Ireland’s largest indigenous industry; — that Article 39 of the Lisbon treaty sets out the EU wide objective of ensuring a fair standard of living for farmers; — the historic reduction in direct EU supports through the Common Agricultural Policy Pillar 1 with the single farm payment to Ireland reduced by €42 million per annum from €1.255 billion to €1.213 billion, approximately a 10% cut in real terms, with a further 14% decrease in Pillar 2 payments; — that the long-term sustainability of the agrifood industry in Ireland requires an adequate and fair market price return for farmers; — that the ongoing manipulation of the market by big supermarkets and large processors is driving down prices for primary producers; and — the need to ensure a level playing field between all actors in the agrifood industry, namely, primary producers, processors and retailers with a fair return to each sector;condemns the Government and the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for failing to protect farmers from unfair treatment by retailers and processors; and calls on the Government to:— confirm its role and the remit of the EU under Article 39 of the Lisbon treaty in supporting Irish agriculture and establishing and overseeing a fair, effective framework for the market to operate within; — ensure that the Minister emphasises the protection of farmers as the cornerstone of domestic and EU agricultural policy; — work with EU Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner-designate, Phil Hogan, to prioritise the re-balancing of power in the agrifood industry in order to ensure farmers get a fair, sustainable price for their produce; — work, at an EU level, to ensure the objectives of Article 39 of the Lisbon treaty are fully achieved; and — introduce a €200 per head beef genomics scheme payment in 2015 to support the vulnerable suckler cow sector.

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