Cut to CAP budget 'extremely disappointing' - Ming Flanagan
Irish MEP Luke Ming Flanagan has said that the proposed cut in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) budget for 2028 to 2034 is "extremely disappointing", particularly given the overall increase in the EU's long-term budget for the same period.
Commenting on the new structure for the delivery of CAP, Flanagan criticised the approach taken by the European Commission, saying that the CAP "as we know it looks set for a major overhaul".
The commission has proposed that, in the next CAP programming period, funding for agriculture will be merged into a single National and Regional Partnership Fund (NRPF). This one overarching fund will encompass all EU funding drawn down by a member state.
The commission has argued that this new approach will give greater flexibility to member states to design interventions that are more effective on a national level.
Flanagan commented: "So, what will this mean for agriculture supports in the future? The current proposal envisages €300 Billion at EU level to be ring-fenced out of the NRFP fund as income support for farmers. To put this in context in the last programming period the allocation to CAP was in the region of €387 Billion.
"It is extremely disappointing that in the face of increased need for funding to ensure EU food sovereignty and to address climate change, that the allocations to CAP have decreased while the overall EU budget has increased," he added.
"While details are still not clear it appears that the two-pillar structure will not formally be continued... The existing eco-schemes in Pillar I and current environmental action in Pillar II are to be merged together and delivered as one programme," Flanagan said.
"The area-based income support is to be targeted at those most in need and [degressivity] and capping will be introduced on those above certain limits that are set out in the draft regulation."
The independent Midlands--North-West MEP said that while it is "very early days", the commission needs to provide more detail on how it envisage the implementation of the new CAP on the ground.
"One of the main things farmers want is stability and clarity on the support they receive. However with this new proposal the commission has once again moved the goalposts, with serious questions hanging over the critical area of funding," Flanagan said.
