12 EU member states – including Ireland – are backing a proposal put forward for an opt-out to implementing mandatory redistribution schemes in the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), according to Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue.

The council of agriculture ministers has been meeting yesterday (Wednesday, May 26) and today (Thursday, May 27) to try to agree on a final position for what the new CAP will look like after 2023 – with talks potentially extending into tomorrow.

The minister gave an update on the negotiations in an online press briefing this evening.

The opt-out proposal was put forward by Austria and would see countries given the choice to “opt out” of the payment redistribution scheme to transfer funds to lower-payment recipients, the Complementary Redistributive Income Support Scheme (CRISS).

When asked as to whether the proposal was getting much backing at member state level, the minister said:

“We have worked with [Austria] on that as well. It’s 12 member states that have signed up to that as well.”

Noting that the presidency has taken the move on board and is now engaging with the council on it, Minister McConalogue added:

“Hopefully we can get that flexibility there; we believe it’s really important that hands aren’t tied on that, that opt-out is there and there is account taken of how all aspects.

Continuing, he highlighted that aspects including eco-schemes, internal convergence, and the level of environmental ambition in Pillar II are all considered in relation to national CAP plans.

This, he hoped, would not “tie member states’ hands in relation to what they have to do on the mandatory redistribution and on the CRISS [Complementary Redistributive Income Support Scheme] scheme”.

“I think it certainly got a lot of traction at council level, and we hope that it will get a good outcome as well in terms of engagement with the parliament,” he added.

When asked if an agreement would be reached this weekend, the minister said: “I really hope so.

“It’s in everyone’s interests that there is an outcome and conclusion. There’s a lot of work to be done by all member states.

The minister highlighted that, from an Irish perspective, the country’s national CAP plan will have to be developed over the summer and submitted by the end of the year.

In addition, he noted that new national schemes will have to be developed next year, so that they’re ready to go from January 1 and “there isn’t any delay for farmers in relation to payments or in relation to schemes”.

“There’s still a lot of water between the council and the parliament – but at the end of the day there’s a whole length of negotiations ahead and negotiations can move very quickly whenever it gets to the final analysis.

“I hope there’s a deal; I think everyone needs to work towards getting one because it’s in all member states’ and farmers’ interests obviously.

“In terms of the key objectives here and keeping that flexibility for us to set a CAP that suits our national needs, it’s really important that the outcome is an appropriate one too,” the minister concluded.