The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue has today (Friday, August 6) announced an additional town hall webinar date for next Tuesday, August 10, as part of a public consultation on the draft interventions proposed for the 2023-2027 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan.
The consultation was launched on July 30, and will run for a four-week period, to August 27.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has said that the additional date will provide a further opportunity for stakeholders to participate in the process.
The other dates for the webinars, which will take place online at 7:00p.m are August 11 and 12.
CAP direct payments
A new modelling paper on the direct payments is now available on the government website.
Minister McConalogue said: “I have consistently said that I would consult widely to hear the views of all stakeholders in order to fully inform my decisions on e.g. redistribution of direct payments, capping and convergence of direct payments, and on how best to achieve the economic, environmental and social objectives of the CAP.
“The latest modelling paper will provide stakeholders with information on the impact of some of the possible changes in direct payments to farmers.
“Stakeholders will have an opportunity to hear more about the modelling at the three virtual town hall meetings on August 10,11, and 12.”
There will be an opportunity for the public to ask questions at the webinar on the night, or to submit questions in advance.
Written submissions can be made to DAFM by post or email until August 27. There is also an opportunity to complete an online survey.
The minister is encouraging all stakeholders to engage in the process: “I am keen to hear the views of all stakeholders, and the additional town hall event on Tuesday next week will provide an alternative date for stakeholders to participate in these discussions.”
CSP
Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) for the period 2023-2027 will represent a change in the approach to CAP planning and implementation compared to previous programming periods.
Instead of the familiar compliance-based approach followed previously, DAFM has said that a new performance-based approach will be adopted.
This will be underpinned by a ‘New Delivery Model’, under which member states’ performance will be judged on outputs and results, and on how their CSPs contribute to CAP objectives at EU level.
The CSP will also take a more holistic approach, incorporating interventions under both Pillar I (direct payments and sectoral interventions) and Pillar II (rural development) into one overall plan.
The responses received through the public consultation will be reflected in a draft version of the overall CSP that will be submitted to external evaluators in early September.
Following completion of their work, an updated plan will be made available for further public consultation in October/November, according to DAFM.
The final plan will be submitted for government approval in December before submission to the EU Commission by the deadline of January 1, 2022.
The EU Commission has six to eight months to approve the plan. The CSP will commence on January 1, 2023.