The government has today (Tuesday, October 4) approved Ireland’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan worth almost €10 billion.
The finalised plan, to run from 2023-2027, was brought to Cabinet by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue.
The European Commission already gave the plan, which has undergone strategic environmental assessment and appropriate assessment, the green light in August.
Commenting on the Cabinet decision, Minister McConalogue said:
“I am delighted to announce that this morning, the government approved the finalised CAP Strategic Plan 2023 – 2027. This is a farmer-friendly, fair and well-funded CAP.
“It will deliver some €9.8 billion to our farm families over the next five years to support them to continue to produce world-class, safe and sustainable food, as well as supporting them in their important work of meeting our climate ambitions.”
The minister acknowledged the support of his Cabinet colleagues, in particular Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Michael McGrath.
“There has also been constructive engagement from all ministers throughout the process, which delivered not just increased funding for the sector but also featured closer collaboration than ever before from all of the relevant departments in the design of the plan.
“This collaboration will continue throughout the implementation process as we seek to achieve in particular, the maximum environmental ambition through close monitoring and evaluation of progress,” McConalogue said.
The minister confirmed that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has begun preparatory work for the implementation of schemes ahead of their upcoming launch dates.
Speaking at the announcement, Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity, Senator Pippa Hackett commented:
“This CAP is very different from previous plans. It contains a host of measures that I know will deliver for farmers, their families, and their incomes, while also protecting our soil, water, habitats and climate.
“In particular, I am pleased with the fivefold increase in funding to support organic farming, which will help us achieve our target of 330,000ha of organically farmed land by the end of the upcoming CAP period,” she said.
The minister also noted that the CAP Strategic Plan will allow women farmers to qualify for higher grants under the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS).
“I am confident that CAP will now deliver results – for our farmers, for nature, for biodiversity, and for climate,” Hackett said.
Minister of State with responsibility for Research and Development, Farm Safety, and New Market Development, Martin Heydon added:
“Across a range of schemes, we have built in health and safety training while also prioritising it in the on-farm capital investment scheme.
“This will ensure we reach a wider audience of farmers than we have in previous CAPs – a positive from a farm safety and farm efficiency perspective.
“I believe this plan will help to drive down the unacceptable high number of fatal incidents on farms in the years ahead,” Heydon said.