Irish MEPs warn Commission's plans for CAP could 'harm' farmers
The proposal by the European Commission to allocate €300 billion for farmers in the next long-term EU budget - down from €386.6 billion previously - could "harm" Irish farmers, an MEP has warned.
Details of the European Commission's proposed next Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF) for 2028-2034 were unveiled to the European Parliament's budget committee today (Wednesday, July 16).
The commission has proposed an MFF totaling almost €2 trillion - out of which €300 billion would be allocated to European farmers.
The previous MFF for 2021-2027 allocated €386.6 billion to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the EU budget divided between the “two pillars”.
Irish MEPs have condemned the move by the commission and said what is effectively a reduction of 22% in the CAP budget could drastically undermine Irish farm families.
They have also, like many MEPs, vowed to fight to get the best budget for Irish farmers.
According to the Fine Gael Midlands North-West MEP, Maria Walsh, this new approach by the commission "could reduce ringfenced funding, change the income payments system and ultimately harm our farmers and the development of rural Ireland".
Walsh added: "What today’s proposals show us is that the European Commission has made a calculated decision to downgrade the importance of the Common Agricultural Policy.
"The CAP is a lifeline to farmers across Ireland and the EU, yet this fact has been ignored by Commissioner for Budget Piotr Serafin.
“While the relevance of some pillar two tools - from farm advisory services to LEADER programmes - is maintained in the proposal, the funding is uncertain. Without guaranteed investment, our rural communities and farmers will undoubtedly suffer".
Separately the Independent Ireland MEP, Ciaran Mullooly, also said he was very disappointed by the commission's move and directly told the Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen that he had "relegated" farmers.
Mullooly also questioned how the young farmers could be supported if their CAP payments "are going to be reduced by 20%"
"How do we make it viable for farmers to stay on the land in those circumstances?" he asked.
Meanwhile the Fianna Fáil MEP for Midlands North-West, Barry Cowen, accused the European Commission of "turning its back on farmers with a misguided proposal that would weaken CAP and jeopardise the future of European food security".
He said the commission's proposal "flies in the face of what farmers, the European Parliament and agriculture ministers across Europe have repeatedly demanded" including a bigger budget and the retention of CAP’s standalone two-pillar structure.
“Rolling the CAP into a general fund is not simplification - it’s centralisation and control from Brussels.
"It strips farmers of the stability they need to invest, innovate and plan for the next generation," Cowen added.
The Sinn Féin MEP for Ireland South, Kathleen Funchion, believes the proposal to merge CAP with other EU structural funds "poses a huge threat to the livelihoods of many farmers across Europe and Ireland".
Funchion added: “The clear two-pillar CAP structure has been vital in providing direct payments to farmers under pillar one and environmental, social, and developmental support under pillar two. This system must be protected.
“At a time of such global turmoil farmers deserve certainty.
"This proposal will be the opposite and lead to delays and problems as has happened with the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) . Furthermore, LEADER funding must be reinforced to support rural communities more broadly".
