Heydon to tell EU agri ministers CAP must remain 'core priority'
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon is set to tell his counterparts in other EU member states that the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) "must remain a core EU priority".
Speaking ahead of a meeting of agriculture ministers in the Council of the EU today (Monday, March 24), Minister Heydon drew attention to the issue of competitiveness for farmers.
"Competitiveness is a key issue for the EU as a whole. Supporting the competitiveness of farming and of the Irish food and drink industry is one of my key priorities as minister," he said.
"The [European Commission’s] Vision for Agriculture and Food provides a good framework to address the future development and resilience of the entire agri-food sector.”
Minister Heydon said he will emphasise that the CAP must remain essential to a sustainable future for the agri-food sector.
"The next EU budget will be very different in many ways, given the new and urgent demands. However, as a first principle, the CAP must remain a core expenditure priority, given the economic, social and environmental benefits it brings across all member states," he said.
The minister also said he intends to draw attention to "key areas for development" of particular importance to Ireland, during discussions on the Vision for Agriculture and Food.
"There are areas of particular interest - for example the development of a sustainable livestock workstream; the generational renewal strategy,; carbon credits; and nature credits - where I think Ireland and other member states could make useful contributions to the commission's strategy formation.
"I look forward to engaging with [European Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen] and my fellow ministers on these issues," Minister Heydon said.
The minister is also set to have a one-on-one bilateral meeting with his French counterpart, Minister of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty Annie Genevard.
Minister Heydon had previously told the council that there are some points in the European Commission’s Vision for Agriculture and Food, including on CAP, that “will require further clarification”.
He said last month that he would work with his counterparts to iron out some of the points that require further discussion.
“There are a number of points in the vision which will require further clarification. I will be engaging collectively with colleagues on these details over the time ahead,” he had said.
“I look forward to working closely with [Commissioner Hansen] and my EU counterparts to ensure that Ireland plays a constructive role in the design of the next CAP for the period after 2027, particularly in our role as [Council of the EU] presidency in the second half of 2026,” Minister Heydon had added.
