ICSA president Patrick Kent has welcomed the appointment of Phil Hogan as EU Commissioner for Agriculture, subject to the approval of European Parliament.
He said:“Ireland’s importance in the EU agriculture sector is reflected in this appointment, and we wish Phil Hogan well in what will undoubtedly be a challenging role, given the many difficulties facing farmers,” said Mr. Kent. “The new commissioner must now consider regulation of the meat industry across the European Union as a matter of urgency, while Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS) overclaims penalties are also a huge issue for many Irish farmers at present.”
“The LPIS issue is one that Mr. Hogan needs to confront as soon as possible. The new CAP was intended to be more environmentally-friendly, but these penalties are sending conflicting signals to farmers. Tillage farmers are now expected to have a compulsory 5% ecological focus area, yet drystock farmers who already have an ecological focus area are being penalised. ICSA has been working with environmental NGOs to bring this case to Brussels, and we will be lobbying strongly for a review of these penalties.”
“The continuing Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations are also a major concern and ICSA expects that Commissioner-Designate Hogan will strongly defend the interests of EU farmers.”