EU talks over reform to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will continue today (Thursday, May 27), with significant issues still outstanding.
A trilogue involving the council of EU agriculture ministers, the European Commission and the European Parliament is ongoing this week, and is not expected to come to a final conclusion on the new CAP until tomorrow.
At a debriefing of agriculture ministers last night, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue raised several issues which still require ironing out.
The minister said yesterday that Ireland “cannot accept a proposed mandatory implementation of a redistribution scheme, or the setting of a mandatory percentage to be achieved by member states”.
This is in reference to a payment redistribution scheme to transfer funds to lower-payment recipients, such as the Complementary Redistributive Income Support Scheme (CRISS).
There are proposals to make it mandatory for member states to implement a scheme for this purpose.
This would be separate from convergence, which is another sticking point in itself, particularly over the target for convergence, with the council favouring 75% and the parliament seeking 85%.
Minister McConalogue threw his support behind an Austrian proposal for an opt-out to implementing mandatory redistribution schemes.
The other main issue at these talk are the eco-schemes, and how much of Pillar I funding should be ringfenced for that purpose.
The council originally proposed ringfencing 20% of Pillar I funding but the parliament is looking for 30%.
A stepped approach, whereby the figure starts on the lower end of the scale during an initial “learning period”, before gradually rising to 30% by 2027, seems to be on the cards, despite the minister’s opposition.
He said: “There should be a single agreed percentage applicable over the entire period. The rate should reflect the impact of other targeted direct payment measures.”
One proposal on the table at the moment is to increase the ringfencing of Pillar I funds for eco-schemes from a “floor” of 20% up to 22% initially, before this figure is scaled up by 2027.
The minister argued yesterday that this floor should be lower than 18% which, he said, would “reduce the risk of unspent funds”.
Agriculture ministers are calling for a learning period as a sort of ‘trial run’ for eco-schemes, during which there is a reduced risk of Pillar I funding being lost and unspent.
According to the minister, the current proposals on eco-schemes from the parliament will cause “a significant loss of funds” immediately in 2023 (when the new CAP comes into effect), if implemented.
However, the minister agreed with the proposal for a ‘rebate’ system that might offset some of the lost funds.