The UK favoured planned reform of the EU's Common Agricultural Policy and had never urged that it be "abandoned or slashed overnight", British ambassador Stewart Eldon told the Irish branch of the Association of European Journalists in Dublin yesterday.
In a wide-ranging address on Britain's European presidency, which continues until the end of the year, Ambassador Eldon said one of the priorities was to make progress towards a "more rational EU udget".
He continued: "We recognise the pressure for, and desirability of, an early agreement on the financial perspectives and we are undertaking a period of consultation now . . . designed to find a way forward. We're conscious of the concerns in Ireland and elsewhere about what this means for the CAP and the legitimate needs of farming communities . . .
"We need a properly-planned process of reform, building on previous changes, to ensure that European farming can meet the challenges of globalisation. We don't intend to be prescriptive on that reform, it's a matter for review, but we must begin making the necessary changes before the following perspective begins in 2014.
"In so doing, we must also, of course, take account of the needs of the new member states, a point of particular importance to the UK because of our commitment over many, many years to enlargement."