The CAP agreement reached by negotiators on Friday was “a reasonable compromise”, according to Fine Gael MEP Colm Markey.

The deal, which follows almost three years of negotiations, is provisional pending approval by EU agriculture ministers at a meeting on Monday in Luxembourg.

Speaking about some of the key issues, the Midlands-Northwest MEP said: “When it comes to convergence, 85% is as good a compromise as we could have got.

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“On the one side it protects commercial farmers and on the other side there is an obvious shift upwards from 60% previously, which is a very significant step and as much as you could expect in one round of CAP.

Viability

“I am conscious that the more you continue down the road of convergence, the more you threaten the viability of some sectors such as beef production, which is dependent on a significant farm payment.”

On eco schemes, Markey said the ringfencing of 25% of direct payments was to be expected, but it was important that there were flexibility in the initial years for unspent funds.

“Ultimately, the detail will have to be hashed out in national strategic plans. It is crucial that any money that is not fully utilised in the learning phase is recycled into the system in subsequent year,” he said.

In conclusion, Colm Markey said farmers should look to the future with confidence.

“CAP is hugely important and this deal gives certainty to farmers in the years ahead, but we can’t rely on CAP to deliver the full extent of our environmental ambition,” he said.

“For example, we need to examine issues like carbon farming and the potential of the carbon sink of agricultural land that could be used to offset emissions from other sectors.”