EU Budgets
Dail Éireann — 2026-10-01
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Ryan O'Meara (FF), Tipperary North

I thank the Minister of State. I will focus specifically on the Common Agricultural Policy and rural Ireland. The CAP is not simply a payment for farmers. It is an investment in the viability of family farms and the communities that depend on them. When a farm is viable it supports agricultural contractors, machinery businesses, vets, hauliers, merchants, local shops and services. The money circulates through the rural community and economy and remains within it. When farming is going well rural Ireland goes well, and that is certainly true in Tipperary and north-west Kilkenny. However, we also have to recognise the pressures farmers are facing from input costs, market volatility, weather events and the need to invest in the future of our farms. As the Minister of State mentioned, negotiations are continuing. As they continue, will the Government make sure the next CAP provides the certainty our farmers need, supports generational renewal and protects the viability of the family farm in rural Ireland?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-10-01/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-10-05T01:01:00+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-10-01