Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Ireland must send out a clear message it cannot countenance any reduction in the CAP budget post 2020. We all know CAP is of critical importance to farmers through direct payments. We also know those compensatory payments support our agrifood sector which has 174,000 people employed throughout the country. It is a key driver of economic activity throughout the country.

We need to get the message out that CAP is not just critical for farmers but that it is good for consumers and the environment as well. We want to get away from the lazy narrative that CAP is a transfer of funds to farmers. It is not. It is of huge importance for the environment, for consumers and for the agrifood sector.

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