Continued access to farm income supports remains in doubt for tens of thousands of Irish farmers, as the current round of CAP reform’s reopening of the active farmer definition could prove more crucial to their futures than any other element of the reform.

Those whose farm income support payments beyond 2027 have lingered in limbo since the European Commission set out its proposals for the next CAP, are farmers who will receive a pension or who will hold down an off-farm job from 2028 to 2034.

The Commission’s proposals lay out the intention to completely stop payments under the scheme that is to take over from the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) scheme to farmers who are drawing down a state pension.

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For now, 2032 is the year laid out for this curtailment of payments to kick in, that would impact tens of thousands of Irish farmers.

“Member states shall ensure that at the latest by 2032 the applicants who reach the retirement age, determined by national law, and who receive a retirement pension, no longer receive support,” the proposal says for income support payments.

European Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen’s statements after the proposals were brought forward suggest that he is entrenched in his position to stop CAP income supports for those on pensions, but older farmers could continue to draw down other CAP payments, like agri-environmental payments or investment aid.

Part-time battle

The CAP fight for part-time farmers will centre around the criteria that deem whether a farmer will be eligible to draw down income supports.

The CAP proposals state that “only to those persons whose principal activity is agriculture, while ensuring that small and pluri-active farmers, who are engaged in at least a minimum level of agricultural activity, are not excluded”.

This opens the door to a cohort of farmers who still engage in substantial agricultural activity but who make more from their off-farm job than they do through farming being ruled ineligible to receive income supports.

Key to whether the moves to cut older and part-time farmers off from CAP income supports will be the degree of flexibility each member state has to design its own schemes’ terms and conditions.