Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 29 June 2021
589. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the details of the proposals he has made at EU level in relation to the upper limit pillar 1 CAP payment allowable for any single applicant should be set at €60,000; if he has sought to ensure that the final CAP will have the flexibility for this limit to be enacted at a national level should it not be enacted EU-wide; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34363/21]
View answerLast October, the Agri-fish Council of Ministers agreed the general approach on the CAP Reform Package. In the Council General Approach, I negotiated for the subsidiarity for Member States to apply capping of payments.
Some of the basic principles around these figures were agreed in the Multi-annual Financial Framework 2021-2027 earlier last year, and transferred across. However, the proposals agreed at Council would see this capping extended further in a degressive manner. These flexibilities would allow Member States to implement capping on a degressive basis starting from €60,000 and rising to 100% capping above €100,000 of the new BISS payment.
In all these negotiations, I have continuously fought for Ireland to have the maximum flexibility to implement the new CAP regulations, including flexibility on the issue of capping of BISS payments to ensure the best outcome for Irish farmers. The political agreement reached yesterday provides for voluntary capping at €100,000, and further degressivity, or reduction of payments for payments over €60,000 whichI have continually supported as a way of bringing fairness and equality to the CAP. These options will be considered along with the other elements of the agreement in the course of consultations that will take place with stakeholders over the coming weeks and months.
