Convergence of farm payments is hitting farmers in the “squeezed middle” and funding for those on lower payments should be found elsewhere, IFA president Joe Healy told the Wicklow AGM on Monday night.
His comments followed concerns raised by two Wicklow farmers, James Hill and Sylvester Bourke, about the viability of their farms if they are hit with further convergence cuts.
“I’m a farmer that’s already been hit with a 30% cut and I feel that that’s more than fair,” said tillage and poultry farmer and county councillor Sylvester Bourke.
“I’m concerned that there will be another 30% to 50% cut which could put me out of business because nearly all my income comes from my single farm payment.”
He told the Irish Farmers Journal that a lot of his payment goes towards land rental.
Harm
“At a stroke of a pen, it would do a lot of harm to me. It very quickly becomes unprofitable. There’s no talk of Phil Hogan cutting his own salary.”
Under the current policy, over €100m has moved from farmers with high CAP payments per hectare to those with lower payments. Draft EU proposals for the next CAP state that all entitlements must be at least 75% of the national average by 2026.
James Hill said full-time farmers who had done reasonably well out of farming were being hit to pay smaller farmers not solely reliant on the farm for their income.
“The product price has not gone up and that is why the farmer has become more reliant on the direct payment,” he said.
Joe Healy said the next round of CAP “cannot be allowed to take money out of farmers’ pockets in the squeezed middle to bring up the lower people.
“Bring them up, but get that fund elsewhere. It’s €30m that’s required – maybe that’s where the genuine farmer comes in.”
Read more
Creed ‘baffled’ by proposal of upward-only convergence
BPS payment cuts to hit over 700 farmers
Farm payments: what do the farm organisations want on convergence?
Convergence of farm payments is hitting farmers in the “squeezed middle” and funding for those on lower payments should be found elsewhere, IFA president Joe Healy told the Wicklow AGM on Monday night.
His comments followed concerns raised by two Wicklow farmers, James Hill and Sylvester Bourke, about the viability of their farms if they are hit with further convergence cuts.
“I’m a farmer that’s already been hit with a 30% cut and I feel that that’s more than fair,” said tillage and poultry farmer and county councillor Sylvester Bourke.
“I’m concerned that there will be another 30% to 50% cut which could put me out of business because nearly all my income comes from my single farm payment.”
He told the Irish Farmers Journal that a lot of his payment goes towards land rental.
Harm
“At a stroke of a pen, it would do a lot of harm to me. It very quickly becomes unprofitable. There’s no talk of Phil Hogan cutting his own salary.”
Under the current policy, over €100m has moved from farmers with high CAP payments per hectare to those with lower payments. Draft EU proposals for the next CAP state that all entitlements must be at least 75% of the national average by 2026.
James Hill said full-time farmers who had done reasonably well out of farming were being hit to pay smaller farmers not solely reliant on the farm for their income.
“The product price has not gone up and that is why the farmer has become more reliant on the direct payment,” he said.
Joe Healy said the next round of CAP “cannot be allowed to take money out of farmers’ pockets in the squeezed middle to bring up the lower people.
“Bring them up, but get that fund elsewhere. It’s €30m that’s required – maybe that’s where the genuine farmer comes in.”
Read more
Creed ‘baffled’ by proposal of upward-only convergence
BPS payment cuts to hit over 700 farmers
Farm payments: what do the farm organisations want on convergence?
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