Libertas.org

Home

A Bad Deal for Ireland: A Bad Deal for Europe

A Bad Deal for Farmers

Lisbon is a Bad Deal for Farmers

Ireland's Commissioner – Gone for five years at a time
Ireland's vote – Halved, Germany's doubled
Ireland's veto on WTO talks – abolished
Ireland's voice in the EU Parliament - weakened
Live Exports - threatened
Ireland's say in CAP negotiations – dramatically weakened

The Lisbon Treaty is little more than the death-knell for rural Ireland's economy. The Treaty must be viewed in the context of evolving EU policy, which has seen Ireland's sugar and fishing industry be decimated by an approach that ignores the needs of our rural economy.

Lisbon would see Ireland's ability to change that policy almost completely abolished.

Whereas now we are able to halt WTO deals that would ruin our agricultural sector, after Lisbon, those deals will be imposed upon us by majority vote.

When that vote is being taken, our voice will be more than halved in strength, while that of powerful nations like Germany will be more than doubled.

Before a vote is taken, the policy must be agreed at commission level. After Lisbon, we will have no Commissioner for five years at a time. When we do have a commissioner, we will no longer be able to decide who it is. A powerful voice for rural Ireland is being abolished.

The vote must then be agreed by the EU Parliament. Again, Ireland is losing another MEP, weakening our ability to defend our interests further.

Brussels will remain totally unaccountable. It is a paradise for big business lobbyists, particularly in the retail sector, who have an interest in keeping farm prices low.

When Irish farmers are told to support Lisbon, they are told that they must do so because it would "harm their interests" not to. But Lisbon is not in your interest, and no amount of bullying will change that.

On June 12th, Irish farmers should stand up for their interests, and Vote NO.