The EU Farm Commissioner, Mr Franz Fischler, will be in Dublin on Monday, November 11th, to continue his work of selling his reform package on which serious negotiations will begin early next year.
While the outcome of the Brussels summit meeting last week will impact severely on his plans to cut direct payments, i.e, modulation, he indicated this week that he will be pushing forward with the rest of the package.
That package included the decoupling of farm supports from production, making the payments conditional on good farming practices and the introduction of a new farm audit scheme.
He had sought to modulate the direct payments to farmers by 20 per cent from the year after next and to shift those savings to fund new rural development measures.
Now, because of the agreement reached at the summit, Mr Fischler will be unable to force changes in the subsidy regime before 2007.
The summit had agreed that the budget available to farming should remain as it is until 2006 and be frozen at 2006 levels with the only adjustment being an increase of 1 per cent for inflation to cover the period 2007-2013.
"We now have a clear idea of the farm budget available in the future. For me, this means a clear mandate to try and guarantee a long-term planning security for our agriculture," he told a press conference last week.
"We now also know that the milk reform and all other upcoming reforms, as well as a part of the direct payments for the new member-states, will have to be financed out of this fixed budget," he went on.
"On the other hand, the means for rural development have not been restricted. On the contrary, the heads of state have even reminded us of the importance of support for less favoured areas," he said.
Dr Fischler underlined that income payments should not encourage environmentally damaging behaviour.
"Just as importantly, why should we force farmers to produce a specific product, or indeed at a loss, in order to receive a payment? Surely it is better to pay them in such a way that they can make their own choices about the best mix of production and costs," he said.
"For example, I think it makes more sense to encourage beef farmers in marginal areas to focus on quality and environmental services, than on producing up to their premium limits. We also want to ensure that farmers are aware of and meet their statutory obligations, leading to better compliance," he added.
While in Dublin, the Commissioner will meet the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Walsh.