Watch: Taoiseach stands over Fianna Fáil support for farmers
Taoiseach Micheál Martin has robustly defended Fianna Fáil's support for farmers, pointing to his personal involvement in securing an extension to Ireland's nitrates derogation.
In an exclusive interview with Agriland the Taoiseach said he worked "particularly effectively" with the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon and Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage, James Browne to get the nitrates derogation over the line.
The Taoiseach told Agriland: "We're the only country now in Europe that received that derogation.
"I would have to put it on the record because that's a very significant issue for everybody in the agricultural world but dairy farming in particular and tillage."
Ireland is preparing to take over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union from July 1 to December 31 this year.
In a wide ranging interview the Taoiseach warned that while Ireland is set to chair crucial EU budget discussions - which includes the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) - these talks will be "very, very challenging".
He said the "draft proposals are below what was the outgoing budget and we've had a number of discussions on the budget".
"There is no early indication yet of give on any side," the Taoiseach added.
He also warned that some countries "want to enhance the Common Agricultural Policy" and he said Ireland will be in that camp.
However, Cohesion Funding, according to the Taoiseach is "another big issue".
More money
"The challenge is that everybody wants to fund more activities - there's less money to do it and some countries want to reduce the budget.
"So we've those who want to expand and those who want to reduce from where the commission has pitched the budget at the moment," Micheál Martin added.
He has warned that budget proposals are set to be "hotly contested".
"It's going to be very very challenging.
"But the commission and the council agreed, and parliament, that we should conclude it by the end of the year and that would be extremely challenging, but that's what we want to do.
"We want to ensure both not just the retention of CAP where it is, but an enhancement of CAP. But I'm not going to pretend that it's going to be easy," the Taoiseach added.
Additional reporting by Stella Meehan
