Pack's bid to rally Irish CAP reform support

Irish farmers have been encouraged to move away from their "we prefer the status quo" attitude to Common Agricultural Policy reform by Scotland's leading exponent on the issue.

Brian Pack, who helped produce the Scottish Government's blueprint for a changed CAP, was speaking at a conference of Irish co-op livestock marts when he criticised their stance.

He expressed surprise at their preference of holding on to a payment system based on what they produced back in 2001 to 2003.

This historical basis for payment would not survive any debate in Brussels, he said.

"Feedback from both the EU Commission and the Parliament indicates that basing future payments on activity of more than a decade back is simply not credible," he concluded.