Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon is to seek an increase in Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funding to ensure an adequate allocation for Ireland from 2028.

He was speaking at the Agricultural Science Association (ASA) conference 2025 in Cork this Thursday.

The European Commission’s proposals for the next EU budget, the multi-annual financial framework (MFF), will ring-fence almost €300bn for the next CAP from 2028 onwards, he said.

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“While I do recognise the very significant challenge that Commissioner [for Agriculture Christophe] Hansen faced within the Commission in getting a ring-fenced amount given the starting point was certainly that no funding would be ring-fenced for CAP, it is an obvious concern that this represents only 80% of the CAP budget in the current MFF (€387bn).

Appropriate funding

“I am ambitious for the sector and I believe we must match ambition with appropriate funding.

“There is a long way to go in these negotiations and it is my intention to seek an increase in CAP funding to ensure an adequate allocation for Ireland as we progress through the detailed budget negotiations, which, at the end of the day, must be agreed by heads of state and government in the European Council,” he told the ASA conference.

He said “we should not take our food, or the people who produce it, for granted” and that the CAP underpins the sector’s resilience and competitiveness.

When asked by the Irish Farmers Journal if Ireland would make up the shortfall currently on the table for Ireland’s slice of the CAP budget, the Minister said that the 80% funding is a “starting point”.

He said that Ireland would bank the 80% and that in the next phase of negotiations, he would be pushing for an increase to that budget.

CAP proposals

The proposals from the European Commission are detailed and technical, the Minister said.

“My Department will be engaging at a technical level over the coming months on these proposals and will continue to engage with stakeholders to share information and listen to their feedback through the CAP consultative committee, which will have its second meeting this month,” he said.

He said his priorities remain a CAP that is more straightforward for farmers, more flexible and responsive, with an appropriate balance between economic, social and environmental sustainability and with an adequate budget for an effective CAP.