Labour leader Eamon Gilmore has said that reform of the Common Agricultural Policy provides an opportunity to copper-fasten the long-term viability of Irish farming, of the Irish food industry and of Irish rural communities.
However, he said the reform will not be easy and the outcome is far from guaranteed, though it is in the interests of everyone in this country.
Addressing a conference at the Tipperary Institute in Thurles, organised by Labour MEP Alan Kelly, Mr Gilmore said powerful, dominant players such as Tesco are extorting huge sums of money from Irish suppliers in exchange for the privilege of getting their food onto supermarket shelves.
He said it is the kind of thing you would expect to see in 'The Sopranos' and that it is bad for suppliers, including farmers, who cannot get their produce onto the shelves of major supermarkets.
He also said it is bad for consumers whose choice is reduced.
He said there must be a stop to the outrageous extortion of the big multiples in the supermarket business.
Mr Gilmore said real, vibrant communities will not survive and thrive without some support.
As the CAP moves more and more away from direct support for farmers, it can have a new role in protecting and enhancing rural life, he said.
He said there needs to be recognition for small businesses in rural Ireland, and the CAP is one potential source of such recognition and support.
The Labour leader said that up to now, what has passed for urban and village renewal in this country has been tax incentives to build apartments in villages and building housing estates where they should not have been built.
