Sinn Féin has called for the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) payments to be protected at this week’s extraordinary European Council budget talks.
The party’s agriculture spokesperson, Brian Stanley, has today, Tuesday, February 18, said: “It is vital that we do not see any decrease in the CAP budget.”
Deputy Stanley was speaking following the release of a leaked document which suggested that CAP could be facing a 19% cut in EU funding – which is to facilitate extra military spending.
Deputy Stanley said: “The Irish Government, in particular, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, needs to go out and make a strong case for Irish farmers to ensure this does not happen.
The news – which has been leaked this week – of a potential cut in funding of 14% to 19% would have a devastating impact for Irish farmers and rural Ireland.
“According to these documents, the CAP budget would lose €53.2 billion over its 6-year programme,” deputy Stanley outlined.
“This will make many family farms unviable and we are already facing the crisis of Brexit and the myriad of issues which will need to be addressed.
Irish farmers then need to contend with the EU-Mercosur trade deal and the constant demand to reduce the suckler herd.
Deputy Stanley outlined his party’s policy with regards to the CAP: “We need to restructure the payments to ensure that there is a CAP of €60,000 and to use that money to increase payments for farmers on the lower-end of the scale.
“What is worse is we know that alongside this proposed decrease in CAP funding, is the drive by certain EU countries to invest in an EU army, to invest in munitions and to further involve ourselves in the duties of NATO – this must be resisted at all costs.
Concluding, deputy Stanley said: “Ireland is a net contributor to the EU and we need to ensure we use our voice at the CAP talks this week to reject any proposal to decrease CAP funding and the caretaker Fine Gael government must ensure this happens.”