A row between the European institutions over how long the bridging period between the old and new CAP should be has the potential to throw Irish farmers’ payments into disarray. The European Commission is pushing for a short delay of just one year. However, both the European Parliament and the European Council have agreed that a transition period of two years is more realistic, with the new CAP beginning in January 2023.

The Commission’s view is that the ambitions of the Green Deal and the importance of the recovery package require very fast, rapid implementation of the new CAP

A senior member of the Commission’s agriculture department, DG Agri, has warned that it is prepared to withdraw transition regulations if a two-year delay is insisted upon. Without these regulations, there would be no legal basis to continue farm payments next year.

Michael Scannell, acting deputy director general of DG Agri, said: “The Commission’s view is that the ambitions of the Green Deal and the importance of the recovery package require very fast, rapid implementation of the new CAP.”

MEPs expressed surprise at the Commission’s position. They said there was no objection to a one-year delay, but it was unlikely that all the necessary work would be completed in time.

For farmers, a failure to agree a bridging period soon would be disastrous. There are 36,000 farmers with GLAS contracts due to end this year. The regulations, as they stand, would allow for a one- or two-year extension to GLAS but the Department of Agriculture has cautioned it will require time to arrange this, so an agreement is needed soon.