European Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen has hit out at critics of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Speaking following a meeting of the EU’s agriculture ministers on Monday, he asked those who believe the CAP should be scrapped what they would eat in the future.

“To those that are saying that the Common Agricultural Policy is a policy of the past, then I would ask them what are you going to eat in the future?

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“I think they need to study the history, because the European continent was not self-sufficient in food at its foundation."

The Commissioner said that it is not that the CAP is too expensive, but rather its absence would be way more expensive for the EU.

“Everyone of us needs to eat two or three times a day and I think we best produce it here as well,” he said.

“There are of course challenges and I think we see that in the agriculture and food sector.”

He said that even if some people are “looking down” on the policy then “we need to take it further, and not destroy it”.

First meeting

Earlier on Monday, Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon chaired the first Agrifish Council of Ireland’s EU presidency.

Competitiveness, values and security will be Ireland’s three main priorities under the presidency, he said.

“Pursuing agreement on the new EU budget is an overarching priority for the Irish presidency, Ireland is committed to ensuring that the next multiannual financial framework (MMF) will have the power to transform Europe for the better for the years ahead,” he said.