CAP proposals must be 'fought tooth and nail' - TD
An independent TD has said that "farmers are still picking their jaws up from the floor" following the European Commission's proposals for the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
On Wednesday (July 16), the commission confirmed its proposals to merge CAP into a single fund from the start of the next EU budgetary cycle in 2028.
The commission said the next long-term budget “will bring together EU funds implemented by member states and regions under one coherent strategy, with cohesion and agricultural policy at its core”.
Independent TD for Offaly Carol Nolan said the proposals will mean that previously ringfenced EU funding for farming will be cut by 22%.
In real terms, she said this will mean a reduction from the current funding rate of €387 billion to approximately €300 billion.
“This is not merely detachment from the real lives of farmers; it is a demented policy drive that will destroy European agriculture by people who seem to have absolutely no sense of the consequences of their proposals.
"If they are accepted, then there will be no going back. The EU will have put the collapse of EU and Irish agriculture into the fast lane at a time when tariffs and trade uncertainty are already causing major destabilisation,” Deputy Nolan said.
“Outside of the commission bubble, the universal condemnation, that has greeted this decision speaks to the genuine fear about what is happening. There is an air of unreality about it.
"People simply cannot believe the commission would be so foolish and reckless. It is as if the cult of stupidity has been embraced with open arms.
“These proposals must be fought tooth and nail by our own government. The time for diplomatic niceties is over,” the TD added.
