Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal at this week’s National Ploughing Championships, Flanagan said a review of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is an ideal opportunity to deliver increased payments for small farmers.

“The mood music out is Brussels is that there’s going to be a mid-term review. How much of a review there will be, we will have to wait and see. My input into that review will be the same as it was before this (current) CAP deal and that is that the smaller farmer and the family farm should get the lion’s share of this money because the changes that have been brought about really haven’t led to a massive change at all.

“We need a CAP on the maximum payments to farmers and we need a better redistribution of that money,” Flanagan said.

The former independent TD for Co Roscommon accused An Taoiseach Enda Kenny of failing farmers in his own county as well as farmers in the west of Ireland. Flanagan said he will work to ensure the next CAP gives more to small farmers in the west.

“From the figures that I have, counties like Mayo, if there was a fairer distribution, would get €28m more in the last CAP, a county like Leitrim would have gotten about €11m more, a county like Donegal would’ve gotten €31m more.

“You have to say that it’s astonishing in a country where the Taoiseach comes from one of those areas, Mayo, that that could happen. There was very little debate about it and it did happen. I suppose it’s my job this time to make sure that it doesn’t happen and if it does then people know about it at the time.”

Full coverage: Ploughing 2016

‘Family farm should get the lion’s share of CAP money’ - Flanagan

Ireland west MEP Luke ‘Ming’ Flanagan has said thoughts are turning more and more to a new CAP in Brussels but he insisted there must be a fairer distribution of funds.