Francis O'Brien (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Trevor Sargent, to the House to discuss this important issue. I take the opportunity also to congratulate my constituency colleague, the new Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Deputy Brendan Smith, on his appointment, which is richly deserved.

The Lisbon reform treaty would leave the position regarding the World Trade Organisation negotiations unchanged. Linking the WTO negotiations and the treaty referendum is wrong. Farmers are concerned, however, and we must do our utmost to allay those fears. Losing a further 8% per annum from their single farm payments is not an appetising prospect for farmers. However, we hope to be able to ensure that such a proposal becomes a voluntary option for member states to deal with individually. Commissioner Mandelson cannot be allowed to negotiate on his own. All European member states must take a stand against him doing his own thing against their wishes. In his contribution earlier, the Minister, Deputy Smith, said there must not be an agreement merely for the sake of it but one that is fair and equitable.

The benefits of our European Union membership are countless but the group that enjoys the most support are farmers. From 1973 to 2006, Ireland received more than €41 billion from the EU in funding for agriculture. In the period from 2007 to 2013 we can expect to receive approximately €12 billion from the Common Agricultural Policy.

Unfortunately, some linkage has been made between the current World Trade Organisation talks and the Lisbon treaty. Farming groups are concerned about the direction of the talks but the Government's consistent position remains that of getting a balanced outcome. We do not want to undermine Irish and European agriculture. My constituency colleague, the new Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Deputy Brendan Smith, will make the case for Ireland at all available opportunities and I have no doubt he will make the strongest possible case for Irish farmers.

Beyond the WTO, there will be major issues for Ireland in regard to EU agriculture policy in the short, medium and long term. It is essential we retain the long-enjoyed goodwill of our fellow EU member states. Anything which would jeopardise that, such as the rejection of the Lisbon treaty, must be avoided. The loss of this goodwill would be very damaging for Ireland, Irish farmers and the community. I thank the Minister of State for coming to the House and the Leader for the opportunity to discuss this serious issue.