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In his inaugural speech as IFA president, Tim Cullinan said that the Government must fight for a bigger CAP budget of at least €2bn and said that more money has to go to farmers on lower payments.
CAP will be the biggest issue this year, Cullinan told the IFA’s 65th AGM in the Irish Farm Centre on Monday.
“Big decisions on the CAP budget will be made. The next Government must fight for a bigger CAP budget.
“They cannot limit their ambition to maintaining the budget at its current level. At the very least, the budget has to cover inflation and the cost of any extra requirements on farmers.
Farmers in the vulnerable beef, sheep and grain sectors in particular are under serious pressure
“Farmers in the vulnerable beef, sheep and grain sectors in particular are under serious pressure.
“Telling them that our Government wants to keep things the same, while costs go up and farmers have to do more to get their payments, is not tenable.
“We need a bigger CAP budget. In 2019, CAP programmes and schemes injected €1.8bn into the rural economy. But costs have gone up and prices have gone down. Farmers cannot survive with the status quo.
Clear target
“We are constantly told that whatever the Brexit outcome is, it’ll be worse than the current situation where the UK is part of the single market and customs union. Yet the European Commission is proposing to cut CAP funding.
“I want to set out a clear target for the incoming Government. Between EU funds and national co-financing, we need that €1.8bn figure to be increased to at least €2bn.
“We also expect this money to go to active farmers. There is no excuse for allowing it to leak out to those who are not genuinely farming or to service providers.
“Put simply, the farmers who are producing top-quality safe food while safeguarding the environment must get the reward,” he said.
Convergence
On the flattening of payments, Cullinan said the Fianna Fáil agriculture spokesman recently adopted the Sinn Féin policy, looking for the convergence model to keep going during the CAP transition period.
“Well, I have a message for Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin. We too want to see more money going to farmers with low payments.
“But the EU or the Irish Government will have to come up with the money. It cannot be taken off other farmers. They have given enough.
Farmers are sick of the hypocrisy from people who fly around on private jets telling everyone they are doing their bit for the planet
“We cannot have a CAP that makes more farmers unviable. The Government have recently established a group to develop a strategy for the agri sector to 2030,” he said.
Cullinan said that the IFA will not sign up to a 2030 strategy that does not contain a clear measurable target for farmer viability.
Climate action hypocrisy
On climate action, Cullinan said farmers are sick of the hypocrisy from people who fly around on private jets telling everyone they are doing their bit for the planet by eating less meat or drinking less milk.
“Farming is getting no credit for the carbon in our pasture and our hedgerows. This needs to be quantified. We need Teagasc to make this a priority, do the research and put the science on the table.
“Farmers are managing a huge carbon sink and we need to get credit for it. And where we do get credit, on forestry, the Government have strangled planting with bad policy,” he said.
IFA reform
“A lot of water has flown under the bridge over the last year. But I say to every farmer in this country - you are welcome in IFA. We need you in IFA.
“The IFA is a great organisation. It has achieved much because of the work of the farmers here today, and those who went before us. Like any organisation, we need to adapt.
“On my campaign, I promised change and I intend to deliver on this with your support.
“I will be sitting down with the new national officers’ committee next week. I want to take on board their ideas and the views of national council. But I intend to move quickly and decisively,” Cullinan said.
We have heard enough waffle. We need action
He said he would give an update in the coming weeks and said he wanted to deal with “the most pressing business”.
General election: “enough waffle”
Cullinan said the IFA must give An Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and other party leaders a clear message when they address national council on Tuesday.
“Farming and rural Ireland is being left behind. Farmers feel forgotten. Politicians must start listening to farmers. Everyone in this room is elected by our fellow farmers to voice their concerns.
“We must not allow any party leader out of this room without securing clear commitments. We have heard enough waffle. We need action,” he said.
Brexit
Cullinan said there has been “loose talk” that Brexit has been resolved.
“Well, it’s far from resolved. The negotiations around the new trade agreement between the EU and UK will be the most important in the history of this state.
“Ireland and the UK joined the EEC together in 1973. Four days from now, they will be gone and the only guarantee we have is an 11-month transition period.
The European Union needs to play hard ball
“The threat of a bad deal, or of no deal at all, is still a real possibility. We face a potential new cliff edge on 31 December of this year.
“Boris Johnson has already tried to tie his own hands. He passed legislation and said the UK will not seek an extension to the transition phase even if a trade deal is not completed by the end of the year.
“This is the sort of bravado he likes to display. Well the European market is important to the UK. The European Union needs to play hard ball,” he said.
Hogan and hard tackles
Cullinan highlighted EU Trade Commissioner in Phil Hogan in his speech, saying he has huge experience of Irish and EU politics.
“He should know the importance of farming to the rural economy. I want to acknowledge the part Commissioner Hogan played in securing the BEAM scheme last year.
“But the EU-UK trade deal will be his biggest political test. The very future of Irish farming and the rural economy is at stake,” he said, adding that the IFA cannot allow the UK to have free access to the European market while they do “sweetheart deals with Donald Trump and others to allow sub-standard cheap food into the UK”.
“Our Government has to be strong at the European Council. Our man at the Commission table, Phil Hogan, has to put in hard tackles and cut out any solo runs.
“And if we don’t get the right deal, or we end up with no deal, a multi-billion euro EU package will be needed to save Irish farmers and the agri-food industry.
I am calling on the Taoiseach to get this money out to farmers before the election
“The IFA will not stand by and allow our sector to be destroyed by a bad trade deal. Of course, Brexit has already done a lot of damage to Irish agriculture.
“The BEAM scheme covered losses up to 12 May 2019. We need a second BEAM-type scheme for farmers who suffered losses since 12 May. But let me be clear: we don’t want limits, we don’t want production reduction and we don’t want restrictions.
“It’s unbelievable that our own Minister left €25m behind because he ‘cocked up’ the terms and conditions of his own scheme. But this money is still there. I am calling on the Taoiseach to get this money out to farmers before the election,” he said.
Rural crime
IFA members want more action on rural crime, he said.
“Farmers are being terrorised in their own homes. Next Friday, over 800 IFA branches will host meetings in partnership with their local guards. We need to support our local guards. We need more of them on the ground and we need tougher laws on trespass.
“Finally, we need the Government to fast-track legislation on reform of the Fair Deal Scheme and we need this to be retrospective. This scheme is fundamentally unfair for farm families,” he said.
He also called for support for suckler farmers, along with an immediate beef price increase, sheep farmers and further increases in milk prices.
Concluding, he thanked outgoing president Joe Healy and outgoing deputy president Richard Kennedy.
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