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Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed is to meet with farm organisations and stakeholders in the industry on 4 July to discuss the shape of the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
Speaking at the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) AGM on Thursday in Sligo, he said the next CAP (and its budget) is the significant challenge facing Ireland.
Minister Creed said he will hold a “consultation with all stakeholders and farm organisations to try and devise the shape of what the CAP should look like post-2020”.
The Minister said he and five other member states, France, Spain, Portugal, Finland and Greece all last week signed a commitment in Madrid requesting that the CAP budget be increased to bring it back to the current levels.
Minister Creed also announced at the INHFA AGM that eight other member states have now rowed in in support of this commitment: Italy, Belgium, Hungary, Cyprus, Croatia, Poland, Slovakia and Czech Republic.
“Since 2014, Ireland has been a net contributor to the EU budget. [Protecting the CAP budget] isn’t Ireland with the begging bowl.
“We must bear in mind that there are other member states who are saying the cuts [announced in the EU budget for CAP] didn’t go far enough... Europe operates on the basis it can only spend what it has.
“This is the significant challenge that faces us, all of the voices in Irish agriculture...need to engage now,” he said.
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