Over 400 attended and a couple of hundred couldn’t get admission to the CAP consultation event in Brussels last Friday. The purpose of the conference was to share the views collected in the 12-week consultation that ran between February and May and allow delegates make comments or give further feedback.

Watch the event in our video below:

EU Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan opened the event and the first session was dominated by the revelation of the responses to the 32 questions that made up the consultation.

The response to the consultation was the largest ever received. The overall number of replies at almost 323,916 was distorted by a campaign, which is a structured response organised by a lobby organisation that accounted for over 250,000 of these.

However, with 58,520 replies online from individuals and organisations, and 1,423 position papers, it was still the largest response ever. The last consultation in 2010 had 5,700 replies, so there is no denying this consultation attracted huge interest.

There was general consensus on keeping a common agriculture policy with the idea of a common market across members securing over 90% support. The wish to have a common international trade policy also had 83% support.

On the issues of climate change, environmental protection and market uncertainties, there was also a general consensus of support. While there was support for collective EU action and no renationalisation of agricultural policy, there was a difference of emphasis on where responsibilities should be divided between the EU and member states.

There is also a general realisation that farmer incomes are below the EU average and the additional demands that are placed on EU farmers, with access to land and low income identified as the biggest barrier. On the issue of the environment, there was also considerable agreement. All respondents were agreed on the need for protection of biodiversity, reduction of soil degradation and sustainable use of pesticides and fertiliser. This agreement extended to the view that the current CAP only partially addresses these and over 60% have a negative view of the present CAP’s success in addressing environmental issues.

There was significant (66%) support for providing income support for farmers and improving their position in the value chain and there was strong support from everyone for the need to deliver more benefits for the environment. While farmer responses invariably focused on income support, wider responses were exercised by the environment, healthy and quality products, with a focus on animal welfare.

Irish participation

There was a strong Irish participation in the conference beyond the Commissioner and his team. John Bryan, former IFA president, was a speaker in his role as rapporteur of the European Economic and Social Committee on a possible reshaping of the CAP.

The IFA participation was through president Joe Healy, director general Damien McDonald and Liam MacHale, director of the Brussels office.

President Joe Healy said the most important issue was that “member states must take into account the need for adequate funding to support the many economic, social and environmental benefits that are delivered through CAP.”

John Comer, ICMSA, was also focused on the budget, saying: “Ireland needs a fully funded CAP; we’ve benefitted hugely from it and we still need it.”

Macra president James Healy told the Irish Farmers Journal at the finish of the conference that: “It is very encouraging to hear the genuine focus within the European Commission on addressing generational renewal in the future CAP.