More than half of the country’s farmers are still unclear about the impact of CAP changes on their businesses.

A survey by the Irish Farmers Journal found that 51% of respondents were either unclear of the impact of the new CAP regime on their farming operations or admitted to having ‘no idea’ of its implications.

This is despite the new regime coming into place this month, resulting in sweeping changes to farm incomes and potential implications for land leasing and rental.

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The survey found that just 8% of farmers are ‘very clear’ of the impact of CAP on their farm businesses, while 41% admitted to being ‘somewhat clear’.

Meanwhile, 41% said they were ‘not clear’ about how the new CAP would impact their businesses, with the remaining 10% saying they ‘no idea’ of its implications.

Tillage farmers are the most informed on the new CAP. Thirteen percent claimed to be ‘very clear’ on the implications of the new programme, with a further 49% ‘somewhat clear’. Thirty percent were ‘not clear’, while the remaining 8% said they had ‘no idea’ when asked about the new programme’s likely impacts.

In contrast, just 6% of beef producers said they were ‘very clear’ on the new CAP, with 41% ‘somewhat clear’, 42% ‘not clear’ and the remaining 11% having ‘no idea’.

Nine percent of dairy farmers claimed to be ‘very clear’ on the new CAP, with 41% ‘somewhat clear’ and a further 41% ‘not clear’. The remaining 9% said they had ‘no idea’ how the new programme would impact their farms.

Of those involved in sheep production, 8% said they were ‘very clear’ on the implications of the new CAP for their farms, 40% were ‘somewhat clear’, 43% were ‘not clear’, while the remaining 8% said they had ‘no idea’ when asked about the implications of the changed programme.