This is an 'incredibly important CAP' for Ireland - senator
It is "essential to ringfence" the current Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) budget, a Fine Gael senator has warned today (Thursday, June 26)
Senator Eileen Lynch said it is also important that farmers are allocated more funding to help them "attain their environmental goals".
Senator Lynch has urged EU decision makers to remember that any changes to CAP will impact directly on farmers.
"This is an incredibly important CAP budget for us, not just right now but in terms of regeneration and renewal when it comes to farming.
"We are in a situation whereby food productivity, food efficiency and food production are becoming increasingly important,” Senator Lynch said.
She said that proposals on the format of the next CAP after 2027 are to be released by the European Commission next month, along with proposals on the future Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the EU’s long-term budget.
The European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen promised yesterday (Wednesday, June 25) that "the future CAP will be simpler and more targeted".
"It will shift from conditions to incentives, while giving member states more responsibility on how to meet common objectives," the commissioner added.
He also acknowledged that it is important for the European Commission to "further look how to strengthen the position of farmers in the food chain".
The commissioner said: "They must get a better revenue from the market so they can make the necessary investments to render their farms more resilient.
"It is vital to keep agriculture competitive and resilient.
"This means: diversifying our supply chains, reducing critical dependences, and lowering the administrative burden for farmers and public authorities".
Senator Lynch believes it is crucially important that Ireland now makes "the case for securing CAP and increasing funding to support farmers as they navigate new environmental processes".
“It is not only important that the current budget is maintained and ring-fenced but that the budget would be expanded and extended.
“We need to see straightforward measures that farmers can understand and implement. We must secure the future of agriculture in Ireland by securing CAP,” she added.
