Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Those states Deputy Smith mentioned would equally be adamant that now is their time for a greater or, as they would see it, a fairer share of the CAP budget. There are a lot of moving parts in this. We are certainly vigilant in the area of ensuring there is an adequate budget. The direction of travel is interesting. If we go back to the Treaty of Rome and the early 1970s, the level of the budget for the Common Agricultural Policy was in the region of 70% and above. It is down now to under 40%. I share Deputy Smith's concern and much of his analysis as well. The most critical objective we have to meet is sustainability. I refer to not just environmental sustainability but to social and economic sustainability for the agriculture sector. An adequate budget is critical for that. We are committed to making sure that before we start talking about all the things we would like to do, that we are sure we have the money in the bag to do it.

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