The European Parliament's agriculture committee will hold what one Irish MEP described as a key vote that "marks a critical step" to setting out the parliament's priorities on the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

The European Commission is set to publish its plans for the next long-term EU budget - the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) - next week, amid fears that the EU budget could be radically shaken up, leaving the EU without a dedicated ring-fenced budget for agricultural payments.

The report that the parliament's agriculture committee will be voting on today outlines the parliament's vision for the next CAP.

According to Irish Fianna Fáil MEP Barry Cowen, the report sets out a demand for a ring-fenced CAP budget, and calls for food security to be treated as a Pillar of EU strategic autonomy.

Cowen was the lead negotiator on the report for the Renew Group, the European Parliament political party to which Fianna Fáil is affiliated.

The report stresses that the CAP should remain a standalone policy and not be folded into a broader national funding envelope, as EU farm organisations fear.

The report states that "secure and constant access" to food is now a matter of "strategic security" in the EU.

The report calls for better environmental rewards for farmers, a clearer approach to generational renewal, and "urgent simplification" to reduce bureaucracy.

The report demands that eco-schemes are made simpler and more flexible, and calls for the continuation of direct payments, including to part-time and small-scale farmers.

It also asks the European Commission carry out impact assessments that take into account farm-level implications before introducing new requirements; and to cut red tape and simplify access to supports.

Commenting on the report, Cowen said: "This vote, I hope, will send a clear message to the commission ahead of its upcoming MFF and CAP proposals. Agriculture is not a footnote to Europe’s security – it’s central to it.

"If we want more from our farmers, we must match that with more meaningful support," he added.

"Dismantling the CAP’s ring-fenced budget would be a historic mistake. Farmers need predictability, not political games. Equally, however, I will not be distracted by debate around the CAP’s structure and will not accept stagnant funding even if the current format is retained," the Ireland Midlands--North-West MEP said.

"Without an inflation adjustment, the CAP’s real value could shrink by 54% by 2034, an effective €250 billion shortfall," Cowen claimed.

"A secure, increased CAP budget is the only way to secure the future of European agriculture and that message will be sent loud and clear to the commission today," he added.