Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon has said he is counting on the cooperation of EU member states to fulfil his aim of a partial deal on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) by next month.

The minister will chair a meeting of EU agriculture ministers in the Council of the EU (of which Ireland holds the presidency) today (Monday, September 28) and tomorrow (Tuesday, September 29).

The minister has previously stated that he wants to get a partial agreement hammered out among member states before the next meeting of agriculture ministers in late October.

This partial agreement, while not being the final text on the next CAP, would steer the council's negotiations with the European Parliament on the future of farm payments from 2028 to 2034.

Speaking on the way into the morning session of this week's meeting, Minister Heydon said: "We will again discuss this matter. The members of the [the council] are very clear and united on the need for an adequately funded CAP that delivers for farmers' incomes, supports farmers from the perspective of their role in producing food and delivering for the environment, but building rural resilience as well.

"I made it clear at our informal meeting in Ireland earlier this month that it is my ambition to achieve a partial general approach by the October meeting. I will only achieve that with the cooperation of member states," he added.

"But I do believe, while it's an ambitious target, it is one we can achieve," the minister said.

Minister Heydon also said in advance of the meeting: "When we talk about an adequately funded CAP, which all members of the...council wanted, it is to support our farmers not just in food production but in their continuing efforts to deliver for the environment.

"I've always said farmers can't go green if they're in the red financially. Farmers have, throughout previous Common Agricultural Policies, really delivered in terms of the environmental resilience piece, and we want to continue to be able to do that in the future in the next Common Agricultural Policy, and there is a lot of ambition in that regard," he said.

Other topics on the agenda of this week's meeting is the state of play of Ukrainian agriculture and agri-food exports amid the ongoing war with Russia, with Ukraine's agriculture minister set to speak at the meeting.

The EU's Fertiliser Action Plan will also come up for discussion, particularly the "longer-term elements" of the plan.

CAP

In a separate statement before the meeting, Minister Heydon explained that a partial general approach on the next CAP would cover "the main terms" of the new CAP, but would not involve the funding aspects, as this is subject to wider negotiations on the EU's next long-term budget.

"As Presidency, we are aiming to secure a CAP that is adequately funded, workable for farmers and administrations and capable of supporting viable farm incomes, food security, environmental sustainability, and strong rural communities," Minister Heydon said.

"It is also important that the new CAP is sufficiently flexible for member states to design interventions that reflect their national systems and circumstances. I look forward to progressing this in collaboration with [EU Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen] and my EU counterparts over the coming weeks," he added.