The proposal from the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers' Association (ICMSA) for the new CAP to have a minimum stocking rate of 1LU/ha would leave over 90,000 of Irish farmers or 80% without support if applied, Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) president Pheilim Molloy has said.

The INHFA has stressed the need for an inclusive CAP post-2028 that supports all farmers.

Molloy outlined that the CAP programme, which currently supports over 113,000 farmers, “must not become the preserve of an elite”.

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He also pointed out the need for any definition, especially around stocking density, to recognise and accommodate the various land types and restrictions that farmers have to operate under.

“How farming practices are in most instances a reflection of the landscape especially across our hills and on heavier peat soils, where farmers are limited in the type of stock and stocking rate they can carry,” Molloy said.

“The outcome would be devastating for rural communities and farming in general, including for the 20% left, as it would considerably weaken our lobbying ability while undermining critical services such as veterinary, contractors, our co-ops and other farm services.

Priority

“It must be the priority of everyone in the agri-food sector to ensure as many farmers as possible remain actively involved in farming and CAP supports are a critical part of this.”

He said any farmer is “farming to the optimum while producing food sustainably in line with CAP requirements, so any attempt to penalise a farmer because of their land type isn’t just unfair, it undermines everything that CAP is about”.

Environmental restrictions, such as the habitats directive that currently affects over 30,000 farmers, covered under the Natura 2000 land designations, special areas of conservation (SAC) and special protected areas (SPAs), often restrict farming activity through specific actions such as the limiting of stocking density, he said.

“Any attempt to restrict access to CAP funding through actions that doesn’t take into account the very limiting impact of these designations would definitely be challenged in the European Court of Justice, but we would hope it doesn’t ever come to that.

“Any attempt to divide farmers in order to support an elite will have devastating consequences for everyone,” Molloy concluded.