THREE-QUARTERS of Irish people surveyed in an EU-wide poll support the principle of farmers being financially penalised if they fail to meet environmental, animal welfare or food-safety standards.
However, contrary to popular belief, most Irish people have a positive attitude to the manner in which farmers are paid under the Common Agricultural Policy (Cap).
"A clear majority of Irish people think that giving more funding to rural development, as well as paying farmers directly instead of subsidising their products, are positive developments [52 per cent]," said a report on the survey, carried out on behalf of the EU's Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development.
Most Irish people supported the "cross-compliance" principle whereby farmers face a reduction in payments if they fail to meet certain standards but support for such penalties was lower in Ireland than in other member states.
Some 76 per cent of respondents supported penalties for breaches in environmental standards, 78 per cent for breaches in animal welfare standards and 70 per cent for breaches in food safety standards.
In contrast, 94-95 per cent of Danish respondents said they supported penalising farmers for breaches in the three categories.
A key finding of the survey into attitudes of citizens to agriculture and Cap was that almost one-quarter of Irish people claim to know exactly what Cap is.
"After the French, the Irish have the highest level of knowledge of the Cap, with two-thirds saying they have heard about Cap," the report stated.
This survey, following on from a similar one conducted in 2006, confirms a predominantly favourable reaction to key elements of the 2003 agreement on Cap reform. The survey also showed that while food prices had become a key issue across Europe, Irish people thought that the EU's priority in terms of agricultural policy should be to ensure a fair standard of living for farmers.
Almost eight out of 10 Irish people saw agriculture and rural areas as vital issues for the future of Europe.
"This view finds further expression in opinions on the EU agricultural budget. Around half of those polled feel that this budget should either stay the same or increase over the coming years, compared to just 8 per cent who think it should decrease," the report said.
Participants in the survey were also asked about trade in agricultural products, and although a clear majority of Irish people thought that all imports of agricultural produce should comply with health and quality standards, the Irish are the least likely of all European citizens to insist on this requirement.
Almost half agreed that agricultural tariffs and quotas should be maintained, with exceptions made for imports from developing countries, while only a quarter were in favour of lifting trade barriers on imports