Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 February 2022
934. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the discussions he and his European counterparts are having regarding CAP rates given the difficult financial year farmers are having and in view of the 25% reduction in the single farm payment. [7490/22]
View answerThe Deputy will be aware that my Department submitted Ireland's draft CAP Strategic Plan for the period 2023-2027 to the European Commission at the end of December 2021. The indicative financial allocation for the Plan over its five years is more than €9.8 billion, with a significant increase in the National co-funding rate from approximately 47% under the previous Rural Development Programme to almost 60% in the period from 2023 to 2027. Proposed rates of payment across the various measures are set out in the draft Plan.
The Plan will have a strong focus on the environment and sustainable production, in line with EU and National obligations on climate change, biodiversity and water quality. In this regard, 25% of direct payments will be used to fund the new Eco-scheme, and I have made a broad range of agricultural practices available in order to ensure that all farmers will be able to participate in this scheme.
I am also conscious of the impact on farmers of recent increases in input costs, and of the current particular difficulties being encountered in the pigmeat market. I discuss market developments regularly with my European counterparts at AgriFish Council of Ministers, and have recently called both for European measures to support pig producers, and for the Commission to consider the removal of anti-dumping duties from fertiliser imports in order to alleviate input cost pressures.
