After that bit of craic and sport between friends in government-----

Come on.

-----let me raise the issue-----

Sure, it is all great craic lads.

The clock is running, Deputy.

I know. Everyone's clock is running.

The Deputy was well able to use social media to support the all-Ireland semi-finalists last week.

It has been reported that the European Commission proposed to end the two-pillar Common Agricultural Policy budget and merge it with other cohesion funds. This is very bad news. We need ring-fenced budgets for agriculture and guaranteed income streams for farmers. Small family farms are being squeezed and pushed out of business. There has, of course, been an increase in the cost of food. How has the Government allowed this Commission proposal to grow legs and gather steam?

What does it propose to do to put a stop to this?

Ireland is very strongly supportive of the Common Agricultural Policy. The EU Commission will publish the multi-annual financial framework proposals later today. This is only the beginning of a long process. The Presidency that Ireland will hold in the latter half of 2026 will be important in the context of finalising issues around the multi-annual financial framework. There is a long road to travel yet. We believe in ring-fenced funding for the Irish agriculture industry, just as we believe in good, strong, robust trading agreements with countries like Canada, Japan and others all over the world. If Irish farmers do not have markets to sell their beef, their milk, their poultry and their pigs to-----

Does that include Mercosur?

-----then their livelihoods will go down. I do not understand Sinn Féin's position of opposition to the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, CETA, particularly as it would damage Irish farming.

It makes no sense.

What about Mercosur?

I call Deputy Alan Kelly.