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The CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027 will drive down and undermine food production, according to IFA president Tim Cullinan.
He said the plan, which was announced as having received Government approval on Tuesday by Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue, also contains “unrealistic targets” for farmers.
“The impact of the eco schemes along with further convergence, front-loading and greater conditionality will hit a cohort of our most productive farmers the hardest.
“A number of the new schemes including the suckler cow, sheep and environmental schemes are underfunded. Last week’s budget was a missed opportunity to rectify this,” Cullinan said.
Ensure workable
The Tipperary pig farmer slammed the new CAP’s environmental scheme, ACRES, which he said “needs significant changes to ensure it is workable for farmers”.
The IFA president also said Minister of State Pippa Hackett’s prediction of a fivefold increase in organic production in just five years was “not realistic”.
“The capacity for the market to deliver a sustainable income for organic farmers is not currently there.
“As we have seen over the past 12 months, the landscape of farming and the economy can drastically change, and it continues to do so. This plan needs to have flexibility and be adaptable to any future changes,” Cullinan said.
Commissioner’s comments
This requirement for flexibility is something that European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski also reiterated when he addressed IFA back in May, the IFA president highlighted.
During this May visit to Ireland, the Commissioner did concede farmers are not getting adequate financial supports from CAP to protect food security.
Commissioner Wojciechowski highlighted the fact that the CAP budget was now just 0.3% of EU gross domestic product (GDP), which compared to a defence budget of 2% of EU GDP.
“Food security needs to be treated like defence and energy security. Without food, nothing is possible,” he told the IFA national council.
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