Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)

I thank Deputies Bennet, Smith and Moynihan for raising what gets to the heart of the CAP - having enough money it in. What has been ring-fenced is 80%. It is not enough. I agree with Deputies Smith and Moynihan in terms of the importance of generational renewal, the next generation and certainty for all farmers. In direct answer to Deputy Bennett's point around the NRPP and the national regional plan, what Europe is saying is that it has less money than it had the last time and we should go back to our country and fight it out over here. We are all saying there is not enough from Europe. I have sharp elbows and I can assure everyone in the House that when the time comes to fight the corner of agriculture at the Cabinet table, I will do that. However, if I do that now, Europe will say we are grand as we got the money locally. We get as much out of the pot in Europe as we can for our farmers because Ireland is a net contributor to the overall multi-financial annual financial framework. Some 75% of our receipts for the entire Exchequer come back through the Common Agricultural Policy. If we allow that to be reduced, the overall economy, urban dwellers as well as rural dwellers across Ireland, suffers.

Therefore, I am continuing to fight. It is really important that the CAP negotiations continue in line and in tandem with the multi-annual financial framework negotiations as well. We will continue to work across government, as will the Tánaiste as Minister for Finance, the Taoiseach and everybody, to get the most into the Common Agricultural Policy as we can because that matters to Ireland overall. Then discussions at national and regional levels will be down the line. I will do everything in that regard at that point but right now, it is about getting Europe to recognise the importance of food security, as Deputy Smith has said. It is an integral part of everything we do. The EU was a peace project.

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