John Paul Phelan (Fine Gael)

I thank Senator Daly for allowing me the opportunity to speak in this debate. I join other Speakers in welcoming the fact that the Minister has been present for the duration of the discussion. It is an important debate. I suggested a debate on the world trade talks about five or six weeks ago. I am glad we are having this debate but we should have had it a couple of weeks ago when the Commissioner for Trade, Mr. Mandelson, began to float the idea of agricultural reform and the potentially devastating impact the reforms he is intent on implementing would have on agriculture, particularly in Ireland. I wish the Minister well in the talks. She is a formidable operator but the Government's commitment to agriculture is not as strong as it used to be. I get the impression from most Members of both Houses that that the priority which many communities in Ireland give to agriculture is not as strong with Government as was formerly the case. It is a sign of the times and the way this country has changed. We cannot allow a situation to develop whereby agriculture is sacrificed for the benefit of other sectors.

Senator Daly is correct that many thousands of people are still directly employed in agriculture as farmers or in other rural services that support agriculture. We must do as much as we can to ensure their employment remains viable and intact. The most fundamental way to ensure rural Ireland survives is to ensure people are involved in agriculture.

Much hot air, waffle and nonsense is spoken about the Common Agricultural Policy. Much of it has been regurgitated in this House today, including the bull we occasionally hear that the CAP has detrimental effects on agriculture in Third World countries. Agriculture exists in many Third World countries purely due to the preferential treatment they receive from the EU in terms of receiving European prices for their products. I am thinking in particular of the recent sugar reform proposals, which will have their most devastating effect in many of the Third World countries that used to receive the European sugar price. They will see complete collapse, as we are seeing in Ireland. Senator Callanan said we might get two more campaigns out of it in this country. That would be very convenient to get past the next general election.