Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funding must be protected and reinforced in the upcoming long-term budget proposals, Sinn Féin MEP Kathleen Funchion has said.

Speaking ahead of the European Commission's proposal in July, MEP Funchion said that there are many challenges facing farmers and rural communities at the moment which are going to make the sector and the countryside increasingly difficult to sustain.

The rumoured proposals from the Commission to centralise CAP and merge it with other objectives poses a threat to food security and farm succession by further complicating and diluting the funding available, Funchion argued.

ADVERTISEMENT

“CAP is essential to the livelihood of Irish farmers and the rural way of life more broadly. It must be protected over the coming years in a well-funded, separate and accessible structure.

Two pillars

“The Commission must ensure that CAP continues to be implemented in the two pillar structure, whilst also cutting the bureaucracy for farmers and protecting LEADER and other community-led aspects that have had such a positive impact on rural areas," she said.

The next implementation period, Funchion added, must also deliver certainty for farmers and not be chopped or changed over the coming years.

"This would only lead to more confusion and unnecessary paperwork for those who should be spending their time doing more important and productive work.

“The Commission must stop the slide that CAP has experienced in relative funding amounts and ensure it continues to serve its purpose protecting farmers and rural areas," she said.