Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon has said that there are some points in the European Commission's Vision for Agriculture and Food that "will require further clarification".

The minister made the comment after attending a meeting of EU agriculture and fisheries ministers yesterday (Monday, February 24) in the Council of the EU.

The new vision for agriculture document, which was published last week, was one of the main points of discussion at yesterday's meeting.

Minister Heydon said after the meeting: "The vision is a reassertion of the vital role of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for food production, farm incomes and the viability of rural areas.

"I also welcome that the vision acknowledges the importance of the family farm model and the need to support its long-term viability," he added.

The minister said that he will work with his counterparts to iron out some of the points that require further discussion.

"There are a number of points in the vision which will require further clarification. I will be engaging collectively with colleagues on these details over the time ahead," he said.

"I look forward to working closely with [European Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen] and my EU counterparts to ensure that Ireland plays a constructive role in the design of the next CAP for the period after 2027, particularly in our role as [Council of the EU] presidency in the second half of 2026," Minister Heydon added.

The vision for agriculture was generally welcomed by EU agriculture ministers at yesterday's council meeting, particularly the emphasis it places on what the council said is farming as a "strategic sector"; and the importance of promoting farming as a career choice for future generations.

However, there was general agreement that CAP must have an "appropriate and separate" budget based on two pillars, with the council appearing to push back on talks of a single, merged pillar in future CAP programmes.

According to the council, ministers also agreed on the importance of continued support for rural areas, stronger alignment of production standards for imported food, and the need for simplification.

Outside of the Vision for Agriculture and Food, the other main point at yesterday's meeting of ministers was so-called 'rural proofing', which "ensures that policies are fit for purpose for people living and working in rural areas".

Yesterday's debate between ministers focused on whether, and in what way, the "rural proofing mechanism should be improved, and how to better integrate rural development into EU policies".

"Ministers stressed the importance of strong rural communities for the prosperity of the EU as a whole, in areas such as food security, environmental protection and economic growth. They called for rural development to remain part of a strong and independent CAP post-2027," the council said.

Separately, in terms of the market situation, ministers noted that, while EU-agricultural markets are showing positive signs of recovery and increased stability, input prices, especially of energy and fertilisers, are still above pre-COVID levels.

The council noted that agri-food sectors continued to face various challenges, including adverse weather conditions such as droughts, floods and hurricanes, and more frequent outbreaks of animal diseases such as African swine fever (ASF), foot-and-mouth disease and avian influenza (bird flu).

Ministers also drew attention to the impact of the geopolitical situation on market stability, including trade with the US and China, and the need to assess the impact of the proposal to raise tariffs on fertilisers imported from Russia and Belarus.