Increase in budget vital for CAP – Offaly MEP  Barry Cowen​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

A ROADMAP which would see the planned budget for the next phase of the Common Agricultural Policy increased by up to €90 billion from what is proposed has been outlined by Midlands North West MEP, Barry Cowen.

Speaking at a major seminar organed by the Fianna Fail MEP in Mullingar last Thursday, Barry Cowen proposed that up to €45 billion in funding designated for rural development should be transferred to the overall CAP budget for agriculture.

He also proposed that €45 billion set aside to deal with any adverse outcome from the Mercosur deal be included in the budget for the next round of CAP.

MEP Cowen also stressed that CAP must place an emphasis on generation renewal in agriculture.

"There has to be a far more attractive avenue for younger people to enter farming," outlined the Offaly man.

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MEP Cowen is the Renew Europe – the group which Fianna Fail is affiliated to in the European Parliament – Lead Negotiator on the next CAP.

The seminar, entitled "The Future of the Common Agricultural Policy – Priorities, Reform and Delivery", was attended by hundreds of farmers and other interested bodies.

There was a large presence of Fianna Fail members from Offaly and members of the farming organisations including the Chairman of Offaly IFA, Joe Daly.

Other speakers included Norbert Lins, European People's Party Lead Negotiator on the next CAP – the group Fine Gal is affiliated to, IFA Chief Economist, Tadhg Buckley and Minister for European Affairs, Thomas Byrne.

The discussion was chaired by RTE's Darragh McCullough with the Lead Negotiator from the Progressive Alliance of Socialist and Democrats, Daria Nardella gave a brief address in a recorded video.

Speaking at the outset of proceedings, Minister Byrne said it is vital there is a pubic debate on the next CAP which will be eventually decided on by the various member states in consultation with the European Parliament.

The Minister noted that the process would be advanced during Ireland's coming EU Presidency and hoped that the negotiations could be concluded in this period.

"Our top priority is to ensure that CAP is fair and that it's properly funded," he stressed. Added the Minister: "We need certainty and stability for farmers."

MEP Cowen said his intention was to find solutions to bridge the funding gap rather than simply asking member states whey there isn't more funding allocated.

"Many in the Eastern states are more interested in tanks than tractors because of the threat from Putin," he pointed out.

As well as increased funding so that the budget for the new CAP would be more or less similar to the €386 billion in the current CAP, MEP Cowen stressed the need for a retirement scheme to be included o advance generation renewal. "I will work with my colleagues and build alliances," he promised.

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MEP Norbert Lins said current proposals on the budget for the next CAP were unacceptable. "We need a budget with at least the same amount as in the current one," he outlined.

MEP Lins observed that the new architecture proposed by the EU Commission is completely different to the current CAP. "We need to keep direct payments to farmers. The system functioned well in the past so why should be change this architecture."

Mr Lins said he agreed with MEP Cowen on the need for an emphasis on generation renewal and said regional policy should be separate from CAP.

MEP Daria Nardella said the cutting of the budget and the nationalisation ofCAP isn't acceptable to his grouping. "We want a well resourced CAP supportingsmall er and medium sized farmers and younger people," he added.

Tadhg Buckley, IFA Chie Economist said CAP had been very good to Irish farmers since our accession to the then European Economic Community in 1973.

"It has led to huge development sin agriculture but a lot of farmers feel that CAP has lost its way somewhat on the link with production," he pointed out. "We want to see a CAP what works with farmers to ensure progress and not one tied up with regulations."

Mr Buckley said the current proposals for the new CAP would see payments reduced from €185 per hectare to €135 which he described as a "massive cut".

The IFA man said the next CAP's aim to focus on sustainability but questioned "what is sustainable about cutting payments."

He pointed out that about 75 per cent of funding into Ireland came through CAP and noted that the state was now one of the largest contributors per head to the overall EU budget.

In a lively questions and answers session, speakers from the floor raised issues including the capping of the level of payments to individual farmers, the thorny issue of state pensions receiving CAP payments, climate change and resilience in agriculture and compensation for farmers if the value of their entitlements falls.