CAP

Oireachtas Agriculture Committee Contributes to European Talks on CAP Reform




22nd July 2010



The impact of the impending major reforms of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) and how they could affect the Irish agriculture sector were outlined by the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture to a special conference held in Brussels on 19/20th July.



The conference was seeking the views of all EU Member States and stakeholders on the planned overhaul of the CAP after 2013. The Agriculture Committee is currently preparing a report on the CAP reform and intends to submit it to the EU Commission as part of its consultation process.



The Chairman, of the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee, Johnny Brady TD attended the conference on behalf of the Committee to express its views on this topic.



Johnny Brady TD said;

“With significant changes likely to be made to the CAP after 2013 it is vital that the interests of Irish Agriculture sector are represented and protected as much as possible.



The Oireachtas Agriculture Committee has taken a strong interest in this matter and we have received submissions from several organisations outlining their perspectives on the proposed changes. Therefore, we believe the Committee has gained a valuable insight into the factors affecting the industry.



The Conference focused on how the CAP can be adapted to better meet the challenges on food security, job growth and respond to market trends.



The European Commission is making preparations to issue proposals on how CAP will change so the chance the conference gave the Committee to contribute to these plans was extremely useful.”