CAP budget

As part of a presentation to the Oireachtas Committee on European Affairs, IFA president Joe Healy said there is scope to increase the CAP budget. Member states should increase their contributions, if necessary, to take account of Brexit, and to fund existing policies. The IFA believes that the future CAP budget should be linked to the growth of the EU economy, which would enable increases in funding.

GLAS advance payment

IFA hill chair Pat Dunne has called on the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed to ensure that all 9,000 farmers who have commonages and are in GLAS, will be paid their first advance of 85% in the coming weeks. GLAS is worth €60m in hill areas and is a vital support to shore up farm incomes.

British-Irish Chamber event

IFA President Joe Healy took part in a British-Irish Chamber of Commerce business dialogue on Brexit in Dublin this week. The president outlined why the agri-food sector is uniquely exposed to Brexit, set out the priorities for agriculture in the negotiations, and emphasised the need to achieve an outcome that maintains the closest possible trading relationship with the UK.

SMP approach

IFA dairy chair Sean O’Leary has called on European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Phil Hogan to reconsider his intentions on how to manage the 380,000t stock of intervention SMP and future buying-in, so the market for fresh SMP can recover to price levels allowing the disposal of some of the stock with minimal market disruption. Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed must lobby EU agriculture ministers to agree this approach, he said.