The CAP deal reached in Brussels on Friday is asking farmers to do more and more for less and less, Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers Association (ICSA) president Dermot Kelleher has said.

“The key battles around the level of convergence to even out the per-hectare payments and redistribution to support smaller farmers simply reflect the fact that the budget is inadequate, and the truth is that the outcome will please nobody,” Kelleher said.

He warned that farmers will be less viable due to direct payment cuts and will still be expected to devote more hours to delivering public good.

Farmer voice

“This CAP reform has been notable also by the extent to which the voice of farmers has been sidelined,” he added.

“The influence of Commissioner Timmermans has been excessive, and this has been noted by many, but he has not come to the table with concrete proposals for extra funding to match the green ambition.

“Meanwhile, Commissioner Wojciechowski is mistaken in his belief that the proposals on redistribution will make any significant difference to small- and medium-scale farmers.”

Payments

Kelleher said the 10% redistributive payment for small and medium farmers will be predominately deducted from small and medium farmers in the first place.

“We are unequivocal in supporting an absolute cap of €60,000 on payments with no wiggle room for those farms that are big enough to employ staff, in the context of a CAP where small-scale suckler and sheep farmers are being cut, even at a current payment level of €10,000.”

The ICSA has repeatedly highlighted that dairy farms on average receive a greater direct payment than suckler farmers.

“Ireland now has to face up to difficult choices in designing its own CAP plans. This cannot be right when we look at the comparative incomes per hectare,” the ICSA president said.