Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon has said that the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will be the priority topic for discussion in a planned meeting with the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food in Japan tomorrow (Thursday, June 12).

Minister Heydon was speaking to Agriland on the Irish Government Bord Bia trade mission to the Republic of Korea and Japan today (Wednesday, June 11).

The minister will travel from Tokyo to Osaka tomorrow for EXPO 2025 where a meeting has been organised with Commissioner Christophe Hansen.

The meeting follows much criticism of recent proposals by the European Commission to streamline the CAP.

The European Commission is understood to be planning a radical overhaul of the EU budget – the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) – as part of which the commission is planning to merge its various funding programmes into a smaller number of funds, which would be allocated all together to member states.

This could not only see the merging of funding for both pillars of CAP, but potentially also the end of ringfenced funding for CAP, farm organisations have warned.

Last week, Minister Heydon was one of 20 EU agriculture ministers who wrote to the European Commission for Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration calling for an adequate budget for the CAP.

Ireland's 'National Day' at EXPO 2025 in Osaka will take place on Saturday, June 14 and Minister Heydon will be the Irish Government representative at the event along with Irish Ambassador to Japan, Damien Cole.

During his time at EXPO, Minister Heydon said CAP reform is a top priority for his meeting with Commissioner Hansen.

"I'll have a number of things to talk through with him [Commissioner Hansen]. Obviously a top priority is CAP and CAP reform ahead of the announcement of multi-annual financial framework or budget and his proposals for CAP at that time.

"He well aware of the priority that I have placed on nitrates derogation and on regaining that; he doesn't have final say for that."

Heydon explained that the retention of the nitrates derogation for Ireland falls under the remit of the Environment Commissioner Jessika Roswall.

"I met her at my last AGFISH council meeting in Brussels a couple of weeks ago and again we talked through the process which we are going through with the series of meeting happening in Brussels and the very close work happening between my officials in Dublin and in Brussels," the minister added.