Irish Examiner view: CAP remains key to the entire rural economy
The Irish Farmers’ Association president has pointed out that Common Agricultural Policy payments are not solely about farmers. Picture: iStock
While we have long ceased to be an agrarian economy, food and agriculture remain vital cogs in the Irish economic machine. So when farmers voice concerns about changes to funding from Europe, we should listen.
Farming might not be sexy to an urban population, but that population would find itself greatly impoverished without the things farmers produce. And the industry has such a seasonally and weather-dependent income, with wild fluctuations for the same produce or livestock over the course of time, that any disruption to more guaranteed lines of money become grave situations very quickly.
