Heydon: Defining 'active farmer' important to CAP deal
One of the most important outstanding issues in negotiations on the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) revolves around the definition of "farmer" and "active farmer", the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine has confirmed.
Speaking today (Monday, July 6) in Athlone, Minister Martin Heydon again detailed Ireland's farming and fishing priorities while it holds the EU Presidency.
Ireland is set to play a pivotal role in shaping negotiations on both the European Union's next long-term budget and the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), with decisions taken over the coming months expected to determine the future direction of farm funding and agricultural policy.
Minister Heydon said today that Ireland will work to support farming and fishing families, protect incomes, strengthen competitiveness, sustain rural and coastal communities, and strike the right balance between the economic, social, and environmental pillars of sustainability.
"At the centre of the work will be the future of the CAP post-2027.
"The CAP is part of the foundations of the EU. Enshrined in the treaties, it has helped secure food production, support farm incomes, sustain rural communities and coastal communities, and provide a common framework for European agriculture over many decades.
"As we look to the next CAP it must continue to do those things. These priorities must guide the negotiations on the future framework and budget. It must be common, stable and fair, and workable in practice".
According to Minister Heydon "farmers need certainty" and they need accessible schemes, proportionate rules, flexibility that reflects regional realities and sectoral differences, and a framework that allows them to plan and invest.
He said Ireland wants to ensure that the CAP retains its "visibility, its integrity, and its capacity to deliver as a common EU policy".
Minister Heydon said that as negotiations advance, attention is increasingly turned into a "substantive choice and a range of choices that will determine how the future CAP operates in practice".
"These include questions around targeting, simplification, flexibility, and the overall balance between the common EU objectives and member state discretion.
"We do not want to underline the strength that has been part of the common market.
"But we do recognise member states operate differently and have enough flexibility to tailor approaches at a national level without undermining the strength of the commonality of the CAP, it is a balance that we want to have to get right and it's a delicate one".
Active farmer
According to Minister Heydon one of the most important outstanding issues "concerns definitions of farmer and active farmer".
"While there appears to be broad support for maintaining the farmer definition broadly aligned with the current framework, significant differences remain regarding the active farmer concept, including its scope and potential mandatory application," he added.
According to the minister given the implications for eligibility and implementation across the CAP, further discussion "will be required to identify a working landing zone".
Simplification
Minister Heydon said Ireland is also very aware that there is a " need for greater flexibility and subsidiarity".
"Many delegations continue to seek additional discretion in the design and implementation of CAP interventions and have called for a number of currently mandatory measures to be made voluntary.
"The challenge will be to strike that right balance between the flexibility of the member states and preserving the common nature of the CAP.
"Simplification will be central to all of this," he added.
According to Minister Heydon farmers want to spend their time managing their farms and want rules that are clear, proportionate and capable of being implemented effectively on the ground.
