Mairead McGuinness MEP and First Vice-President of the European Parliament has stated that farmers “need greater assistance” to make their farms more climate friendly.
She made the comments at the annual dinner of the Boyne Vally Lamb Producer Group in Navan, which was held last Friday, November 9.
“Every farmer I speak with is adamant that they do not go out to harm the environment, and in fact would value help and support to make their farms more environmentally sustainable,” said McGuinness.
Reforming the policy must be done with the difficult, but not impossible, task of sustaining family farms and enhancing environmental delivery.
McGuinness argued that the expected cuts to the CAP would hurt the financial sustainability of farms here, for which direct support from the CAP is a significant proportion of family income.
The Fine Gael MEP suggested that the reforms overemphasised “environmental delivery and climate action”, and claimed that last week’s finding by the EU Court of Auditors – which questioned the role direct payments could play in climate action – would fuel opposition to the CAP.
She argued that individual farmers lack power, but if they work collectively they can influence decisions and support each other.
“This is a difficult issue with no simple solution – a recognition of the pressures that different sectors face is essential, and we need an open and frank conversation about what we want for our farms for the future,” she concluded.