Former European Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan believes that there are other opportunities for Irish farmers and the Government to extract financial supports from the EU as Ireland rounds the corner on negotiations on the union’s next long-term budget.
Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal on the sidelines of the Nuffield International Agri-Summit recently, the Kilkenny man said that farmers have to look at various pots of money that are proposed from the Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF).
“It won’t all come directly from the CAP budget in the traditional fashion, but there are other opportunities in the competitiveness fund and the security and defence fund, the research and innovation fund.
“These are opportunities to gain financial support from various programmes of activity that we will have.
“Ultimately, I think that Ireland and the EU will come up with largely a similar type of expenditure on the CAP, around 30%, that we had in the past,” he said.
When asked what he thinks of the notion of an environmental fund separate to the CAP, a fund which the IFA lobbied for last year, he said he does not see a need for such a fund.
“If you use the existing fund [CAP] for food production with a sustainability agenda as part of that particular programme, I don’t see why you’d need a separate environment fund,” he said.
Hogan, who held the position of European Commissioner for Trade before he was “unceremoniously hauled down”, as he stated himself, from the role in August 2020, believes that there is a huge opportunity for Ireland Inc to play a very constructive role during the EU presidency, which Ireland will hold from 1 July until 31 December.
He said Ireland can achieve a number of policy and legislative outcomes that have been in the system for the last year and have not made much progress.
“Ireland has to be positive about savings and investments, as well as playing a meaningful role on the CAP and the budget.
“Those files in themselves are probably the most significant files they could take out,” he said.
Trump
Commenting on the US President Donald Trump, he said the EU is in a very difficult situation with the man sitting in the Oval Office in the White House.
“He expects 100% of his agenda in relation to trade deficits, security and defence, and our attitude to the Chinese to be implemented in line with American policy.
“He has to realise that the European Union is an independent entity that has to come to these conclusions ourselves and that we have our own agenda as well to be implemented.
“He has been right on a number of issues, particularly around security and defence, and greater funding from NATO by member states of the European Union and that is happening.
“We are working closely with the US at European level on China, in terms of ensuring we don’t have products being generated for dual use technologies that could be subsequently used in a conflict.
“Thirdly, trade will always be a two-way street.
"At the end of the day trade is about involving ourselves in being competitive and the European Union is now addressing, more and more, the issues about where we are lacking competitiveness, but also we are demonstrating in good faith with the US with the recent vote in the European Parliament, that we want to have stability in trade and we want to continue to the €3 trillion relationship we have in trade between us,” he said.
Solar on farmland
On issues of a domestic nature, solar farming is another policy issue the Government has to grapple with, he said.
“There has to be a balance between food production and renewable energy systems being put in place like solar farming.
"I think local authorities will have to include it as part of their development plans in future, in terms of the level of activity on renewable energy that will be allowable.
“This means first of all that they need government policy decisions and government direction as to how they can achieve that in the same ways as wind farms at the moment and special areas of designation,” he said.
On anaerobic digestion, he thinks the co-operatives and government generally have missed an opportunity for farmers to provide the raw material for AD plants.
“They’ve allowed the private sector now to come in and take the space.
“This was a wonderful opportunity for direct farmer and agricultural co-operative input into an area where it can give an additional income stream to farmers,” he said.
FAO election
In March 2026, it was announced that Hogan had been nominated the Government as Ireland’s candidate to be the next director-general of the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
It’s a prestigious job, which attracts a salary above €200,000.
"The election will be held next summer where he will go head-to-head with other candidates from around the world. Why does he want the job?
“I suppose I’m a public servant at heart, over 37 years I’ve been helping my fellow human beings to be able to better their lives,” he told the Irish Farmers Journal.
“I’ve always an interest in food security and in Africa as a continent in particular.
"I see the great work the European Union and member countries have been doing around the world in various famine hotspots and I think that the international agenda that is part and parcel of the FAO appeals to me.”
What will he be doing between now and then? “Canvassing.” Where? “All over the world,” he said.
Hogan stated that he thinks the recall of Brazilian beef “shows that the system is working in the European Union, that they’re able to detect these problems from imports from whatever geographic location around the world”.
“It’s the member states that actually have to ensure that this is the situation.
“I was very pleased to see recently that the European countries and member states are doing their job to ensure that the agreements that we have signed up to are being implemented.”
What about the proposal to scrap entitlements in the next CAP?
“I think that everyone should realise that when the European Commission makes a proposal it’s a matter for the member states and the European Parliament to decide whether they agree or disagree with those proposals and I expect that between now and the end of the year, there’ll be a lot of changes.”
Was the ‘no’ vote by Ireland on Mercosur the right decision?
“That’s a matter from the member state, a matter for Ireland. I’m not going to get involved in domestic decision making.”
What about Ukraine joining the EU?
“I feel that there’s going to be a transition period for Ukraine if they wish to join the European Union and I think everybody now has signed up to the notion that they will become part of the European Union in due course.
“But there will need to be separate financial policies available for various important policies of the European Union, including agriculture,” said Hogan.
SHARING OPTIONS