The new CAP has the potential to cut every farmers’ Basic Payment by 30%, IFA president Tim Cullinan has said.

In his speech at the 66th IFA AGM on Thursday via online video call, he told An Taoiseach Micheál Martin that the eco schemes are of concern to the IFA.

“As this is being framed at the moment, it has the potential to take 30% out of farmer’s incomes, out of pillar one, which is the direct payment that farmers get every year.

Commitment sought

“I would like if we could get a commitment from you today that you will do everything in your power that that won’t happen,” he said.

The IFA president also called for an impact assessment on the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies.

The IFA president said that a food ombudsman cannot come quickly enough and that the position must have teeth.

On Brexit, the IFA president told the Taoiseach that agriculture has been suffering from the effects of Brexit since the Brexit vote.

He called for a fair proportion of the €1bn slice of the Brexit adjustment fund to go to agriculture.

Climate

Cullinan said that farmers are already doing a lot for climate change.

"If we look at it, farmers are doing a lot and we need to bring balance into this debate and we need to be able to deliver in our industry.

"A lot of new measures have been put in place and they are going to take time to work through the system."

That would result in a hit on income and a cut in farmers' income

Deputy IFA president Brian Rushe said the current direction of travel that farmers face on the new CAP in 2023 is going to result or could result in asking farmers to do more and more for less and less.

"That would result in a hit on income and a cut in farmers' income. If you look at the vulnerable sectors within farming at the minute, some of those sectors rely 160% on the CAP payments.

"We need a commitment that any new CAP will not be asking farmers to deliver on environmental measures without additional funding and a reward for delivery around that.

"When a farmer delivers on the environment, all of society will benefit," he said.

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