8th February, 2013

The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association president Gabriel Gilmartin has welcomed the deal on the EU Budget after marathon talks. 

Speaking from Brussels he said, “While you never get the deal you want, it’s as good as could be hoped for, given strong opposition from certain member states. The important thing is that this deal now clears the way for Minister Coveney to get a CAP reform agreed under the Irish presidency.”

Mr Gilmartin and general secretary Eddie Punch met with An Taoiseach Enda Kenny during an interval in the talks earlier today and encouraged him to do all in his power to get the deal over the line today, so that negotiations on CAP reform could be finalised during Ireland’s presidency. 

“We are of course disappointed that the talks have resulted in a cut to the overall ceilings for both Pillar 1 and Pillar 2. Pillar 2 funding will now average €313 million per annum for Ireland, compared to €356 million per annum average for 2007 – 2013.”

“However, there are positives and I especially welcome the extra €100 million for Rural Development negotiated by An Taoiseach in the closing stages of today’s talks. With a co-funding rate of 53%, this now suggests an annual Rural Development budget of €590 million, which is a significant drop compared to before, but it’s not as bad as it might have been.”