The new CAP regulations are still being negotiated between the European Parliament, the European Commission and the European Council. A number of technical details concerning the Good Agriculture and Environmental Condition (GAEC) standards have still to be finalised.
I recognise the challenges of implementing the requirements with regard to conditionality of the new CAP while ensuring that measures are compatable with the reality and needs of Irish farming and the farming community. I have established a CAP Consulatative Committee, made up of various stakeholders, including the farm bodies, who will inform the process of establishing the best fit of conditionality requirements to meet the needs of Irish Agriculture.