Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Taoiseach has returned from Brussels with a deal that could spell the end for many of our family farms. The new EU budget will see a 9% cut in the Common Agricultural Policy, CAP, and this at a period when our farmers need more support, not less. It is at a time when farmers are under increasing pressures around prices. It is at a time when the detail we have on the Common Agricultural Policy is that it will apparently result in greater bureaucracy and costs. Put simply, on the face of it, this is a disastrous deal for Irish farmers and the communities that depend on them. We are still unsure as to how Ireland will actually benefit from the agreement or how much additional contribution our taxpayers will be expected to pay towards the €7 billion for the so-called defence fund, which in essence is a subsidy to the EU arms industry.

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