Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 July 2018
1889. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the ways in which he will ensure that the next CAP rural development programme will have a much more ambitious agri-environment scheme that delivers worthwhile benefit to farmers that go the extra mile for the environment and climate change, such as is the case with the rural environment protection scheme, REPS. [35199/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe new legislative proposals for the Common Agricultural Policy 2021 - 2027 were launched on Friday 1 June 2018 by Commissioner Hogan. The Commission proposals, as drafted, involve significant changes, including in relation to governance, the distribution of direct payments among farmers and the environmental conditionality attaching to such payments.
They provide for some additional discretion for Member States in configuring the measures available, within parameters laid down in the draft proposals. The new Commission proposals commit to a more significant environmental ambition than the current CAP schemes, including in pillar I, where an eco measure, which would be mandatory for member states, but voluntary for farmers, is provided for. At the moment, it is too early to say how such a scheme, or other environmental schemes, might be configured. However, the Commission proposals require 40% of the total budget, and 30% of pillar II funding excluding funding for Areas of Natural Constraint, to be devoted to the environment and climate change.
I can assure the deputy that I will be working to ensure that the CAP post 2020 is resourced and configured to provide the support needed to help farmers make a positive contribution to the environment and climate change, to improve competitiveness and encourage technology adoption at farm level, to encourage intergenerational change and to support farm incomes.
