Patricia Ryan
Question:793. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when preparations will begin on a new Common Agricultural Policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31440/20]
View answerTuesday, 20 October 2020
Questions (793)
Written answers
The preparation of Ireland’s draft CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) has been under way for some time in the Department. Development of the plan involves a number of stages, including SWOT analysis, needs assessment, intervention design, financial allocations, target setting (including monitoring) and governance systems. The draft CSP will also be subject to an ex-ante evaluation, Strategic Environmental Assessment and Appropriate Assessment.
The Department held a public consultation on the draft SWOT in September and October 2019 as well as a stakeholder workshop in October 2019, and more recently, in June 2020, stakeholders considered the needs arising from the SWOT. The Department also hosted a number of townhall events on the CAP negotiations, including the SWOT analysis.
As required, the draft SWOT analysis for the CAP Strategic Plan post 2020 focuses on 9 specific objectives, including 3 objectives that are directly related to climate and the environment and a cross cutting objectives of Agriculture, Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS).
Consultations on the CAP negotiations and development of the CSP will continue through the CAP Consultative Committee, which comprises representatives of the main stakeholders including farm bodies, NGO’s, industry representatives and academia. It also includes Government Departments and Agencies, including DPER, DRCD, DCCAE, DPHLG, DCHG (NPWS), Bord Bia, Teagasc and the EPA.
The Committee has met on eleven occasions, with further meetings planned. The current focus of activity (Q4 2020) is on moving from the SWOT analysis phase to the identification of needs which will inform the intervention logic.