Paper work is “killing the advisory services” in Irish farming, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) president Denis Drennan told European Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen at the Ploughing Championships on Thursday.

Drennan said that the ICMSA “really welcome simplification” in relation to farm paperwork.

The ICMSA president also told the Commissioner that rules, regulations and paperwork are putting serious pressure on Irish farmers.

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“They want to farm, look after their animals, look after their crops, not spend time filling forms,” he said.

Response

In response, Commissioner Hansen said that the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), set to finish at the end of 2027, aims to reduce the administrative burden on farmers by €1.6bn annually across the EU and by €200m for national authorities.

“It's both for the farmers and the authorities,” he stated.

Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon highlighted that simplification for Government departments and advisory authorities then results in more simplified schemes for farmers.

Other priorities highlighted by Drennan included allocating an adequate CAP budget, an EU-wide definition of an active farmer and effective measures to control prices.

The ICMSA president said that it was an observable fact that CAP had ‘lost the thread’ back to its original purpose of supporting food-producing farmers. This, he said, has to be restored and reinvigorated in the upcoming CAP Reform.

ICSA

Senior members of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) highlighted challenges currently facing dry-stock farmers. These included high fuel prices, notably for agri diesel, and low incomes.

Members called on the Commissioner for suspension of carbon tax and CBAM as it is “decimating incomes” for beef and sheep farmers in Ireland.

The importance of live exports to Ireland was also raised by ICSA, following the ending of Brittany Ferries' Rosslare-Cherbourg live-export route in September.

The ICSA called out six EU member states’ efforts to influence CAP budget talks seeking a reduced overall budget.

In response to concerns over input costs, such as fuel and fertiliser expenditure, the Commissioner said “it’s not always the cheapest option in the short term that will be the cheapest in the long term”.

On energy, Hansen said that domestic energy production in the EU has been neglected somewhat, and he thinks there is potential for farmers to be part of a solution through provision of bioenergy.