Independent Ireland’s European Election candidate for Ireland South, Eddie Punch said that a significant increase in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) represents a key objective that the next parliament must address.
Punch added that the CAP spending fell from 0.54% to 0.36% and the next EU parliament will have to “strongly campaign” for increased CAP spending.
Negotiating the Multi Annual Financial Framework (EU Budget) in 2025 will be the first step in delivering an objective, according to Punch.
The European Election candidate said this will test if established politicians are serious about the CAP, as it requires Member State governments to decide if they will increase contributions to the EU budget.
Punch said that the debate about what proportion of the EU budget is allocated to CAP, is “critical” and must be informed by the risk to food security provided by EU consumers and economy.
“The CAP costs 33c per day, for every citizen of the EU which is remarkable value for plentiful, nutritious food.
“In 2023, the EU had a net trade surplus of €70 billion for agri-food products while the CAP is actually costing €56 billion/annum. That means that we are essentially getting EU food for free, in terms of public expenditure and the EU economy,” he continued.
Punch added that this creates a problem as it is not translated into farm incomes, and unless it is fixed, very few young farmers will take on the job of feeding the EU.
According to Punch, this would prove “catastrophic” and hence why this issue should feature among the most “pressing priorities” of all European Parliament candidates.
CAP eco-scheme
Meanwhile, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has confirmed that finalisations for over 300 farmers still awaiting eco-scheme payments for 2023 will be completed by June 30 this year.
To date, eco-scheme payments have been issued to 119,165 farmers with a total value of €309 million paid.
The eco-scheme was introduced for the first time as part of Ireland’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan 2023-2027.
The payment rate depends on uptake, but is likely to be in the region of €60 to €65 for all eligible hectares covered by the commitments undertaken as part of the scheme.