CAP reform, the current beef crisis and TB issues were all on the agenda at Monday night’s Cavan Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association (ICSA) meeting. MEP Mairead McGuiness was in attendance and gave her views on Brexit and how farmers could be supported in the next CAP. On convergence and the flattening of payments she said there was a lot of confusion around who the winners and losers with convergence will be. She outlined a study that is currently being completed by the Department of Agriculture on the effects of convergence on Irish farmers.
CAP reform, the current beef crisis and TB issues were all on the agenda at Monday night’s Cavan Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association (ICSA) meeting. MEP Mairead McGuiness was in attendance and gave her views on Brexit and how farmers could be supported in the next CAP.
On convergence and the flattening of payments she said there was a lot of confusion around who the winners and losers with convergence will be. She outlined a study that is currently being completed by the Department of Agriculture on the effects of convergence on Irish farmers.
“I have a genuine concern around the incomes of full-time farmers, they can’t pull out of other sources of income," McGuinness said.
"They are also going to be more exposed to convergence if it happens and we need to support these farmers."
EU budget
McGuinness also spoke of the challenges that exist around the next EU budget. However, she assured those in the room that the "political will" was there to support EU farmers.
On timelines and deadlines for the budget she said: “I can’t see the current timelines and deadlines being met so we will see a rollover of existing schemes or a transition period until we reach agreement."
McGuinness would also like to see the shifting of more pillar 1 money into environmental payments, urging farmers to embrace this change and accept getting paid for public goods.
“If production isn’t paying, maybe it makes sense to cut back and hope that supply and demand kicks in and you get paid more for your product” she said.
Beef crisis
When it comes to the beef industry, McGuinness can’t understand how farmers and factories can’t work together for positive outcomes.
“Factories need cattle and you need factories so it makes sense to sit down and work this one out. I think it would be a real shame if we lose our suckler herd, but we need to be aware that people are changing how they eat and what they eat. In our own house we used to cook a roast for the six of us, that doesn’t happen anymore as we are all on the move. There is no point in wishing things were like the past, we need to evolve with consumers."
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