Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín has called for a “more even system” of Common Agricultural Payments (CAP) payments for farmers, after the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine provided the average payments per farmer for each county.
The figures, provided in response to a parliamentary question to Tóibín, show that, in 2022, Dublin was the county with the highest average payment per farmer, at €25,500, with each recipient sharing in €21 million in total payments.
Only five other counties had average payments for farmers in excess of €20,000 for 2022.
These were:
- Carlow (€21,000 per farmer, €39 million in total payments);
- Kilkenny (€21,000 per farmer, €69 million in total payments);
- Tipperary (€20,000 per farmer, €139 million in total payments);
- Waterford (€22,000 per farmer, €50 million in total payments);
- Wicklow (€21,500 per farmer, €44 million in total payments).
Commenting on the figures, Tóibín – who is running in the Midlands–North-West constituency for the European Parliament elections – said: “It’s hard to believe that even when it comes to average annual CAP payments, Dublin farmers are taking more than their fair share.
“Figures released to me…show that farmers in receipt of CAP in Dublin are getting an average annual payment of €25,500, the highest across all counties in the state,” he added.
“In Cavan, for example, the average annual payment comes in at €14,500. Mayo and Monaghan are both €12,500 respectively and, on average, a Donegal farmer is getting a mere €13,500.
“It’s not fair – the CAP payments should be focused on helping farmers in disadvantaged areas, especially those who farm on bad, rocky or wet land,” the Meath West TD said.
Tóibín referred to a decision by the European Commission, in 2022, to downgrade the north and west of Ireland to a “lagging” region, based on gross domestic product (GDP) and poverty rates in the area.
“Surely this means that, regardless of farm size, the farmers there deserve preferential treatment to help pull them from the bog hole of debt and poverty they’re currently stuck in,” the Aontú leader claimed.
“I’ll be raising this matter in the Dáil as soon as possible. We all know that the current government and indeed the European Commission have little regard for rural Ireland, and it appears to many that Dublin is getting everything while rural areas are left behind.”
“However, I was shocked to see that even when it comes to farming and CAP payments, Dublin is getting the cream and rural counties are getting the scraps. It’s unforgiveable,” Tóibín said.