Fianna Fáil leader and outgoing Tánaiste Micheál Martin has said his party will fight for a fully-funded CAP and reject pressure to divert money to other areas.

“Unlike other parties, we have gone further and made proposals to stop the dynamic where there are efforts to undermine the CAP in every budget negotiation.

“CAP is the most successful programme the EU has ever developed. It has ensured that a continent once defined by regular food shortages has attained full food security - with secure and high-quality food supplies.

"The EU does need more money to develop its work, but it can’t be at the expense of the CAP. I have offered at EU council level to support new revenues for other areas, but only on condition that we end the zero-sum efforts to undermine the CAP,” he told the Irish Farmers' Association's (IFA) national council on Tuesday.

Shrinking budget

He said that in the negotiations for the next CAP, which Ireland will help shape when it holds the presidency of the council in 2026, “we will also push for a simplification of payment systems and controls which are more balanced and proportionate”.

Martin said his view is clear: “We can’t compromise the CAP to facilitate a rise in expense in defence expenditure. To me, food security is as important as any other sector.

“We can’t keep shrinking the CAP budget to be doing other things in Europe. We have to say to the EU we want to increase the funding for food security, for the CAP. That is my commitment on that,” he said.

In his address to IFA members, he said that family farms and the agri-food sector as a whole are not only Ireland’s most important indigenous industry, they have an immense social and cultural importance to our country.

“They are a defining part of our Irish identity. And I passionately believe that they will play as important a role in our future as they have in our past,” he said.

Nitrates derogation

Martin said that his party would work every day to protect the nitrates derogation.

“We will do this in two ways. First of all, we will work with farmers in a more intensive effort to improve key waterways. We will create a permanent farming for water scheme for all affected areas.

“This will provide detailed advice and funding on an entirely new level. A one-to-one level of support to plan and then to access funding to implement improvements.

“This work will dramatically aid the diplomatic effort we will undertake to ensure that it is understood that unique factors in our grass-based system, in tandem with our climate and soil type, mean that our derogation is absolutely reasonable,” he said.