This week’s episode of Farmland focusses on the recent approval of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) by government, and what Budget 2023 will mean for farmers on the ground.
The programme, which is now available on the Agriland platform, can be viewed by clicking the YouTube link above.
In the programme, Tadhg Buckley, chief economist with the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), joins Agriland’s Aisling O’Brien to share his analysis on both topics, with particular emphasis on how it will affect the drystock, sheep and tillage sectors.
He states that the new CAP will contain “significant asks of farmers” who are looking to access the Basic Payment Scheme in comparison to the previous CAP, and says it may be particularly harsh on those that rely on direct payments.
Speaking about these “vulnerable sectors”, Buckley states that these payments can account for up to 20% of some farmers’ incomes, and adds that the agricultural minister has no choice but to address that.
He also discusses the 10% concrete levy, which has been an ongoing sticking point in relation to the construction of modern slurry storage facilities, an activity that was promoted in Budget 2023.
Later on Farmland
Later in this week’s episode of Farmland, economist Ciarán Fitzgerald shares his opinions on these topics, and states that he believes one of the CAP’s key flaws is its lack of flexibility.
He says that in relation to the occurrence of geopolitical events, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it can be too slow to react, and adds that if policies are not up to date, they will not be effective.
Fitzgerald also discusses the agricultural industry’s messaging around climate change and says that the sector’s contribution to the economy needs to be realised amongst those who vilify it.
This week’s episode of Farmland is now live on the Agriland platform. All previous episodes can be streamed via the award-winning digital platform agriland.ie, and links will also be available across Agriland social media platforms.
All episodes of Farmland can be viewed by clicking here. Farmland, the podcast, is also available on every major podcast platform.