IRELAND FOR EUROPE:AN APPEAL to Irish farmers to set aside, for the moment, their annoyance at the Government's withdrawal of funding for Reps and vote Yes for the Lisbon Treaty was made yesterday by Pat Cox, the former president of the European Parliament.
Mr Cox who is Ireland for Europe campaign director, made his appeal at the Agricultural Science Association annual conference in Dublin and said a Yes vote was the best hope for overcoming the economic crisis which has hit Irish farming families.
“The benefits of EU membership and Cap [Common Agricultural Policy] supports are very substantial and must be protected. Whatever arguments the sector may have with the Government – and some of their current troubles are national in origin rather than European – should be for another day,” said Mr Cox.
A Yes vote, he said, would also ensure that Irish agriculture had maximum clout in the crucial decisions to be made by the EU over the next few years.
“Irish farming representatives have all the skills, ability and a brilliant track record in building the most effective relationships in Brussels,” he said.
That should not be undermined by another No vote to an EU treaty – especially since our EU partners have listened to Irish voters’ concerns and addressed them with legally-binding guarantees,” Mr Cox said. He said the decision on October 2nd would have consequences “for a generation or more”.