Macra president John Keane has called on Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue to ensure critical supports for young farmers are maximised in any CAP deal.

As the talks continue, indications are that 3% of direct payments will be ringfenced for young farmers, a compromise on the Europeans Commission and European Parliament’s proposals.

“It is disappointing to see that only 3% of payments will go towards young farmers. Our ask, supporting that of CEJA, the European Council of Young Farmers, was for the ringfencing of 4% of payments to go to young farmers, these funds are fundamental for driving generational renewal,” said Keane.

He added: “Indications of an agreement emerging on 3% of direct payments does not limited the national exchequer and Department of Agriculture from providing further funding to support young farmers and generational renewal.

“We must view a 3% ringfence of payments as the floor-level payments to young farmers. This cannot be the ceiling of payments to young farmers and there can be no back-sliding of payments to young farmers under the rural development programme.”

We must view a 3% ringfence of payments as the floor-level payments to young farmers.

The recently elected Macra leader added that there were indications that negotiators were agreeing on the need for higher investment supports for young farmers.

TAMS

“If this is agreed, it will enable our own Department of Agriculture to increase supports levels for young farmers on schemes such as TAMS,” he said, saying that Macra would welcome any increase over the existing 60% investment support levels for young farmers.

“This recognises the difficulties young farmers face in accessing capital for on-farm investment and is a positive more to redress that issue,” he added.

He welcomed the potential abolishment of the five-year rule for scheme length and encouraged Minister McConalogue to resist calls in the Triogues talks for higher levels of convergence.