Francis O'Brien (Fianna Fail)

The mid-term review of the CAP, which concluded in June, represents the background to today's debate. The Minister for Agriculture and Food deserves to be congratulated on another excellent negotiating performance in Brussels. The outcome of the talks generated some criticism in certain quarters, but it would be a very unreasonable evaluation of that outcome to suggest the Minister had done anything other than meet his previously stated objectives.

The level of criticism the agreement generated was in no way justified. The reaction of some Fine Gael Members in the Dáil was hysterical. They spoke of a sell-out and bemoaned the absence of young people in farming while, at the same time, talking the industry down. It has to be said the reaction of farmers to the mid-term review has illustrated a clear desire to plan for the future in an informed manner.

More than 1,000 farmers turned out to hear Commissioner Fischler when he addressed a conference on the reform proposals organised by the Irish Farmers Journal. It has been encouraging that this constructive spirit dominated over any talks of sell-out. One of the achievements of the Minister for Agriculture and Food in the mid-term review was to get the European Council to agree to amend the proposals for full decoupling of direct payments to provide member states with a number of options to implement decoupling in a manner best suited to their requirements. In other words, we had to choose. As a result of this, a major question since the conclusion of the CAP reform talks was whether we should opt for full or partial decoupling. This was an acute question that needed to be settled quickly to secure as much clarity and certainty as is possible in the world of farming. Clearly, whatever option was chosen would have a huge effect on Irish agriculture. Consultation was necessary and the Minister made a commitment to consult with all interested parties. He has clearly delivered on this commitment.