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The EU needs to “properly fund the CAP” in order for quality food to continue to flow across the EU, Minister for Agriculture Barry Cowen has said.
He told his first EU agriculture council of ministers meeting that the CAP needs to be valued.
“As we move closer, I hope, to the finish line in these negotiations, I have to state again that the core issue here is the funding provided to support the Common Agricultural Policy.
“The CAP and the single market have kept quality food flowing right across the EU and on to our citizens’ tables during this very difficult time,” he said.
Results
Minister Cowen, who was appointed to the agriculture portfolio on Saturday and attended council via video link, said making the new CAP delivery model operational for member states is essential and that it is essential to implement the new results-based approach effectively.
In relation to the Croatian presidency of the council and the changes it has made to the CAP text, Minister Cowen said that member states will be able to implement the new system with a manageable administrative burden.
“Importantly, this approach also provides the necessary assurance for the Commission by benchmarking expenditure against operations and amounts selected and approved,” he said.
Environment
Minister Cowen said that further work on the CAP will be dominated by environmental considerations.
“Ireland has always favoured a strong green ambition in the new CAP. The recent Farm to Fork and biodiversity strategies have highlighted these issues.
“As we move forward with the new CAP, we need to be ambitious for change, but farmers and member states need certainty, so we need to move quickly to consider these strategies on the basis of full impact assessments.
“However, green ambition is not just concerned with consideration as to how to deal with the new Farm to Fork and biodiversity strategies. There are still issues within the draft regulation that need to be considered.
“We need to look again at article four, where we want to support green farm practices with the definitions. There is a need for further clarity in the language here in order to avoid any incentive to remove positive environmental features from agricultural areas,” he said.
Conditionality
Minister Cowen also said Ireland does not yet have full clarity and understanding of all the elements of conditionality in annex three of the CAP text.
“In this regard, I want to emphasise the clear need to include all statutory management requirements in the new conditionality.
“It is also very important that we definitively resolve any questions of potential loss of funds with regard to the implementation of eco schemes, given the potential dual impact on farmers’ incomes and the achievement of our environmental ambition.
“We understand that it is intended to give further consideration to this issue and any potential solution in this regard should not place an undue administrative burden on those member states who continue to operate on entitlements and convergence-based system,” he said.
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