Farm sector backs Walsh for top EU post

The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, is coming under intense pressure from the Irish agri-sector to nominate the Minister for Agriculture…

The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, is coming under intense pressure from the Irish agri-sector to nominate the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Mr Walsh, as Ireland's new EU Commissioner, writes Seán MacConnell, Agriculture Correspondent

While Mr Walsh said yesterday he did not wish to comment on the matter, support for his nomination by the Taoiseach has been growing.

It has even been suggested to the Fianna Fáil leader that the MEP, Mr Brian Crowley, the party's top vote-getter, could win the by-election created by Mr Walsh's appointment and this would facilitate Mr Crowley's return to national politics. Mr Crowley was not available for comment last night.

The meat processing industry and the farm organisations have indicated that Mr Walsh is their preferred choice for the job. It has been pointed out that while most of the larger EU countries will be seeking financial portfolios, agriculture remains nearly 50 per cent of the total EU budget.

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"If we are serious about seeking a hard-hitting job with real influence in the EU, we have to go for Joe," said one senior food company executive last night. "He is the best qualified of all the EU farm ministers and has more experience than any of them in Brussels or back here in Ireland," he said.

The farm organisations are backing Mr Walsh on the grounds that the Dutch Agriculture Minister, Mr Cees Veerman, has expressed an interest in the post. The Dutch government, while not opposed to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), was part of a reformist group which wanted spending cuts and more enviromental controls put in place during talks to reform the CAP last year.