Seanad debates

Wednesday, 2 July 2003

Common Agricultural Policy: Statements.

 

Looked at positively, this agreement could turn out to be the best thing that has ever happened to Irish agriculture and farming. Until now, all the links in the chain have been in place but there has not been any focus on the final link, the customer. That focus is important because it is only through the marketplace that we can build a sustainable, long-term position. The previous position, which was allowed to continue for too long, was artificial, uneconomic and doomed in the long run. By spending so much energy during the years trying to preserve what was unpreservable, Irish farming has lost an opportunity to carve out a niche for itself in what I would call the real marketplace. In terms of the opportunities lost, I am talking mainly about dairy farming.

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