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Fianna Fáil and the Green Party, two parties involved in government formation talks, have been reminded of promises made during the general election that the convergence of farm payments would continue.
The transition period is likely to last between one and two years
The leader of the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers’ Association (INHFA) Colm O’Donnell said both parties made clear promises that convergence would continue during the CAP transition period.
The transition period is likely to last between one and two years and will begin on 1 January 2021 as work continues to finalise the next CAP reform. Under the proposed legislation, member states will have the option to pause convergence or continue it during the transition phase.
At odds
Continued convergence would put the two parties at odds with their other potential government partner Fine Gael. Minister for Agriculture and Fine Gael TD Michael Creed said convergence should be paused.
He said there was clear inequality in Ireland’s payment model
O’Donnell stated: “[The European Commission ] provided enough flexibility to the small number of member states still wedded to the historical payment model which in Ireland's case continues to pay farmers based on stock and production levels from 20 years ago.”
He said there was clear inequality in Ireland’s payment model as the maximum entitlement value of €700/ha received by a small number of farmers was over four times that of the minimum amount of €160/ha.
Debate
O’Donnell said the debate had for many years centred on the opinion that farmers with the highest payments were the most productive. However, figures obtained by the INHFA from the Department of Agriculture “exposed this miss-perception and revealed very little difference in stocking rates between farmers” irrespective of their direct payment.
The process of convergence under the last CAP concluded in 2019 with the minimum and maximum entitlement values of €160/ha and €700/ha. O’Donnell said this was seen by many as a means of ensuring minimal redistribution before full flattening delayed until the upcoming CAP.
He called on both Fianna Fáil and the Green Party to ensure convergence continued as this “is what the two parties promised, it is what the majority of farmers are waiting for and most definitely the right and just thing to do”.
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