Northern Ireland's farmers have given a qualified support to the idea of decoupling production from direct payments, but they will not tolerate any interference with the milk quota system, Mr John Hume told the European Parliament yesterday.
He was speaking on the second day of the debate on the Fischler proposals to reform the Common Agricultural Policy. A vote on the package will take place today.
Mr Hume said he had been briefed by the Ulster Farmers' Union on the reform package, which would have to be carefully examined in Northern Ireland, where the average farm income is only £88 pounds per week and the average age of farmers is 58.
He said nothing should be done to further disadvantage the area, which was badly hit by low incomes and must not be further disadvantaged by CAP reform.
He said the UFU had told him there was qualified support for decoupling direct payments from production subject to this being likely to sustain farm incomes.
However, there was unanimous opposition to the proposals to cut market support payments and divert that money back into rural development schemes.
He said Ulster's farmers wanted Dr Fischler to maintain the milk quota system until 2015 and would also seek a dairy export refund system.
The Green MEP, Ms Nuala Ahern, said the Fischler proposals were being driven by the World Trade Organisation talks. Irish farmers needed to realise that it should be their real target because the Commission showed more concern for trade liberalisation than good farming practice.
"Irish farmers need to wake up and stop opposing environmental legislation, such as the Nitrates Directive, and realise that these laws could protect them against the full rigours of the WTO proposals.
"They need to fire at their enemies, not their friends, because CAP reform of some kind is inevitable," she said.
She said the Commission was right to propose making compliance with relevant food safety rules a must for receiving payments from Brussels. However, it was vital that the same standards applied to imported foodstuffs; otherwise, the antibiotics banned in the EU could make their way back on to consumers' plates in the EU again.
The president of the IFA, Mr John Dillon, said yesterday he had a constructive meeting with Dr Fischler on Tuesday night.