Sinn Féin’s Ireland south MEP Kathleen Funchion has said that she will remain sceptical of the European Commission’s pledge to bring more “fairness” to the next CAP until concrete and detailed proposals are published.

The Commission came forward with a landmark 'Vision for agriculture and food' in February, which claimed that the next CAP should better target funding towards small farmers, young farmers, new entrants, mixed farmers and those farming in areas of natural constraint.

However, Funchion told the Irish Farmers Journal that the Commission’s commitments for reform, such as the February pledge for fairness, must not be an excuse for cutting CAP’s funding.

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“The cynic in me when I hear the Commission talking about any sort of what they propose as changes based on fairness or that great word ‘rationalisation’ or stuff like this is that it is really important that it doesn’t translate into cuts and that would be my first instinct,” the Sinn Féin MEP said last week in Brussels.

Experience

“Maybe that’s wrong, but my experience not just from politics but in lots of areas of working life is that when we hear talk like that, what they mean is cuts.”

Funchion suggested that the mooted merging of different EU funding streams, such as the CAP budget with EU cohesion funds into a larger budget, should be treated with a measure of suspicion.

“Language like that to me always translates to cuts in some shape or form. We have to ensure it is not cut - and there is an argument to increase it.”

The MEP said that consultation will be key before any changes are made to CAP after the current one expires at the end of 2027.

“That is the mistake that is made I feel, not just at a European level, but at a national level, when there isn’t any consultation,” she added.