Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 February 2022
167. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he plans to publish the CAP Strategic Plan in view of the fact that 16 other European Union member states have done so; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6941/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy will be aware, Ireland's draft CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) for the period 2023-2027 was submitted to the European Commission on 31st December 2021. I am pleased to say that we were one of eighteen Member States to meet the regulatory deadline for submission of 1st January 2022. A copy of the draft CSP was shared last week with the CAP Stakeholder Consultative Committee, and was made available on my Department's website.
The formal EU approval process is now under way. The Commission will assess the draft Plan through extensive inter-service consultation, and based on the criteria laid down in the relevant regulations. It has three months to make formal observations, and we expect to receive its formal observation letter in late March/early April 2022. My officials will, of course, engage closely with the Commission as required throughout the approval process over the coming months.
I consider that the plan strikes an appropriate balance between the needs and demands of all stakeholders - of which there are many - and the need to secure approval from the European Commission, including in relation to the level of environmental and climate ambition to be attained.
The Department is also preparing the necessary administrative and IT systems that will underpin the new programming period from 2023.
This is complex work, with many new elements, including the extensive reporting requirements under the new performance framework. There is also a lot of work to be done in communicating the changes that will be introduced under the Plan to the farming community and other stakeholders, with whom we will continue to work closely as we move towards implementation of the plan in 2023.
The key is to ensure that crucial payments will be made on time to farm families in 2023.
