Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has said that the impact of convergence on farmers who are seeing their payments reduced is a painful process, but that farmers with smaller payments are gaining.

Speaking at an Irish Natura and Hill Farmer Association (INHFA) meeting on Friday last in Donegal, the minister said that there would also be farmers out there who are saying 85% convergence doesn’t go far enough.

“If somebody is on a large number of acres but on a high payment they’re losing out, whereas if they’re on a large number of acres and they’ve a lower payment they’re benefiting. That is the case,” he said.

Not black and white

The issue with convergence is it’s not black or white, it’s not whether someone is a small farmer or a big farmer, it’s not even between different sectors of farming, the minister said.

“Many farmers are affected in different ways. So you can have a lot of small farmers who have high entitlement values and are actually seeing their payment reduced because of convergence and you could have a farmer with a lot of acres who would be on a lower payment, [who] will actually see their payment will go up.

“It’s not big or small, it’s specific to the entitlement value somebody would have.

“There’s no doubt that those who are seeing their payment in Pillar I reduced because of convergence that that’s a very painful process. It means a lot to them and it hits their bottom line. It’s something I’ve been very respectful of in all the meetings I’ve had,” he said.

Not going far enough

“The opposite is also the case, that for those on smaller payments, which is many in this county [Donegal], their payments will be going up and there will be those that will be saying it didn’t happen soon enough and it’s not going far enough.

“It’s very much particular on the impact it’s having on [the] individual farmer and individual farm family,” he said.