Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 24 February 2021
1102. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will address concerns raised regarding supports being provided to Irish farmers during the next round of the Common Agricultural Policy (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10256/21]
View answerNegotiations between the European Council, Parliament and Commission on the shape of the new CAP are ongoing, and unlikely to conclude until May 2021. In the meantime, the EU budget for the next seven years has been agreed, and will see an overall increase in CAP funding for Ireland. Although the amount available for direct payments is slightly reduced, this is compensated for by a bigger increase in the amount available for rural development, including a special allocation of €300 million for Ireland in recognition of the challenges facing our agricultural sector.
Any reduction in the amount of Direct Payments is a matter of concern. However, the outcome must be assessed against the original proposal of the Commission in 2018, which comprised a 15% cut in rural development expenditure and a 4% cut in direct payments. This 5% overall cut in the CAP budget would have translated into a significant loss of funding for Ireland over the 2021-2027 period.
Ireland had consistently rejected proposed cuts to the CAP budget during the negotiation process, particularly given the additional environmental and climate demands being made of farmers, and the need to meet the higher levels of environment and climate ambition set out in the new EU Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies. This planned reduction has now been completely removed.
The continued delivery of payments to farmers is a key priority for me in ensuring the best possible outcome for farmers from the CAP reform process.
