Failure to reach agreement on the CAP reform this week reflects the fact that a deal will be difficult to achieve when farmers are “asked to do more and more for less and less”.

That is according to Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association (ICSA) president Dermot Kelleher.

“In particular, it is unacceptable to see beef, suckler, sheep and tillage farmers seeing their payments fall when these sectors are so dependent on CAP payments,” Kelleher said.

Extra delivery

“We had hoped that if the EU wanted a greener CAP, then funds would be in place to pay extra for extra delivery.

"Instead, the CAP reform proposals are built around an inadequate budget that can only result in farmers having their payments slashed to fund the green deal.

“No other sector would tolerate this.”

The ICSA has backed the need for Ireland to have maximum flexibility to design a CAP that suits its needs.

However, Kelleher warned some straight talking will be needed about how CAP is used to support lower income sectors.

“Irish agriculture must have the right balance between all sectors, in the interests of maintaining farm families, supporting the rural economy and a devising a sustainable model both in economic and environmental terms,” he said.