Common Agricultural Policy In Ireland
...reforms and what are the options for Irish Agriculture and rural development in the future?
Introduction
Ireland joined the EEC in 1973; Ireland's economy including agriculture got a major boost after joining the EEC. When Ireland joined the EEC, the agriculture sector was given supports. This scheme was called the Common Agricultural Policy. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was introduced in 1962 with the primary aim of improving the living standards of farmers within the EEC member states. As a result of these supports farmers including the Irish started to over produce. This led to the CAP reforms. This assignment will examine in detail the impact of the CAP and the McSharry, Agenda 2000 and The Luxembourg Agreement reforms. The impacts looked at will be mainly in the dairy and beef industry.
Looking then towards the future of Irish agriculture and rural development in Ireland, I will talk mainly about the futures of the dairy and beef industry in Ireland. Coming from a farming background, I will give an in depth look into the future of the dairy and beef sectors in Ireland, the issues facing them and how they can over come these issues and survive, not only in today's market but into the future. Throughout the assignment I will be looking at information gathered, written and discussed from various sources, and then provide my own opinion on the issue and also the opinions of some practicing farmers in the sector on how the reforms of CAP has affected them and how they think farming in Ireland will evolve in the future.
The Early Days
The European Economic Community (EEC) was founded in 1957 after the signing of the Treaty of Rome. Its first members were Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, The Netherlands and Italy. These countries were also members of the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), which had been established in 1951. The...
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