
‘How dare you': Former minister Alan Shatter criticised in committee on Israeli settlements bill
Former justice minister Alan Shatter has been criticised for comparing a ban on trade with Israeli settlements to TV sitcom Father Ted, with one TD asking 'how dare you' use that description.
Ex-Fine Gael TD Mr Shatter opposes the Irish Government's draft law banning trade with Israeli settlements on Palestinian lands that have been deemed illegal by the UN's top court.
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Paired with that, the level of environmental regulations farmers have to adhere to, and biodiversity and other targets that need to be met is only rising. These are welcome moves to protect our environment but they come at a price, and add layers of complexity to the job. In an attempt to address the challenge of generational renewal, the Commission has recommended that CAP funding "should be focused on active farmers", meaning supports would be "targeted towards farmers who exercise agriculture as a principal activity". This would mean that farmers who are of pension age would no longer receive supports under CAP. In addition, the proposals would hugely increase supports for young farmers starting out, with funding for the costs of establishing a new farm potentially rising from €100,000 to €300,000. 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He welcomed the EU's renewed focus on bringing along more young farmers but pointed out: "If you want the next generation of farmers coming home, along with all the measures that we bring in to support young farmers, we still have to have viable farms for them to come into." Essentially, however well-intentioned it is, the idea of giving newer farmers more financial support at the expense of older ones could prove to be a misguided one if it kills off the very farms its trying to protect. Like most budget-related considerations, it will come down to finding a balance. And with the next EU budget not kicking in until 2028, at least there is sufficient time to try and get this balance right. But there's no doubt that between now and 2028, many battles will be fought as competing interests vie for pieces of a potentially smaller pie of EU funding.