Irish MEP Barry Cowen has heavily criticised fellow MEPs in the European Parliament for what he called "fantasy football" economics on the budget for the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Earlier this year, the parliament agreed that it wanted to see a CAP budget for 2028-2034 of €433 billion.

The current budget on the table from the European Commission and the council of ministers is a far cry from this figure, at just around €295 billion - a cut of some 25% on the budget for the current CAP.

While the parliament has aimed high on the CAP budget, according to Cowen its members have not put forward credible suggestions on how to secure a higher budget.

Speaking in the parliament, he called on members to "move beyond unrealistic demands".

Cowen is leading talks on the next CAP for the Renew Europe political group, of which Fianna Fáil is a member.

In the parliament yesterday (Tuesday, October 20), Cowen criticised colleagues for "demanding a €433 billion CAP budget without setting out a realistic strategy to secure the necessary funding".

According to Cowen, "simply insisting" on a budget of that size, without identifying where the additional funding will come from "risks undermining efforts" to secure a better deal for farmers.

Cowen, and several other Irish MEPs, recently sent a joint letter to key EU decisionmakers with a plan to boost the commission's and council's proposed CAP budget by over €90 billion.

Cowen said this would be a "credible pathway to bridge the estimated funding gap".

According to the Midlands North-West MEP, the measures he and other Irish MEPs have proposed "provide a practical starting point for negotiations, allowing parliament to pursue further improvements, including inflation protection and fairer distribution of CAP funding".

He told the parliament: "I've spent 30 years in politics, at local, national and now European level. I’ve grown accustomed to populism and point-scoring at home.

"But frankly, the ‘fantasy football’ form of economics surrounding the next CAP in this parliament is surprising and disappointing," he added.

"The commission has proposed €296 billion for the next CAP. The Irish presidency is at €293 billion, and even it faces resistance from the so-called frugal countries. Meanwhile, Parliament demands €433 billion and is unwilling to budge," the MEP said.

Cowen also called for the next CAP to provide greater flexibility for member states to supplement EU agricultural funding with national resources.

"Let’s fight for fairer distribution mechanisms and flexibility for member state governments to invest more in rural communities. Politics is the art of the possible, not the theatre of the impossible," he remarked.