This week, Phelim O’Neill attended a workshop held by the European Parliament’s agriculture committee in Brussels. Dissatisfaction with the present CAP is widespread. Prof Alan Matthews, who is opposed to direct decoupled payments, put it bluntly when he said CAP was neither effective, efficient nor equitable. Many farmers would agree but for different reasons. Non-farming interests will be forceful in pushing for what they see as a more favourable CAP. It falls to farm lobbies and our Department to ensure the case for Irish farmers is heard while addressing welfare, environmental and climate change issues.