Asking farmers to do more with less funding from the CAP is a no-go, IFA president Tim Cullinan has told Minister for Agriculture Barry Cowen.
The IFA president held his first meeting with the new minister on Thursday.
Cullinan said the IFA delegation had “constructive engagement” with Minister Cowen and his Ministers of State, Pippa Hackett and Martin Heydon.
“The key issue for us is the next CAP budget. We emphasised the importance of defending farm incomes through Pillar I.
“Our message to Minister Cowen was clear - the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, has to push for more funding at his first EU Council meeting next week,” he said.
Concerned
“We are very concerned that the current allocation for Pillar I is not even sufficient to pay farmers the same Basic Payment in 2021 as they got this year. We want to see an increased overall budget to cover inflation and any extra asks on farmers.
“Asking farmers to do more with less funding is a no-go. Minister Cowen acknowledged the case we made and committed to continuing the fight for increased funding,” Cullinan said.
€50m beef fund
The IFA delegation, which included the deputy president Brian Rushe and director general Damian McDonald, also raised the isse of the €50m fund for beef finishers.
“We made it clear to the Minister that the funding has to be released immediately and without unnecessary conditions or red tape,” Cullinan added.
Read more
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Asking farmers to do more with less funding from the CAP is a no-go, IFA president Tim Cullinan has told Minister for Agriculture Barry Cowen.
The IFA president held his first meeting with the new minister on Thursday.
Cullinan said the IFA delegation had “constructive engagement” with Minister Cowen and his Ministers of State, Pippa Hackett and Martin Heydon.
“The key issue for us is the next CAP budget. We emphasised the importance of defending farm incomes through Pillar I.
“Our message to Minister Cowen was clear - the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin, has to push for more funding at his first EU Council meeting next week,” he said.
Concerned
“We are very concerned that the current allocation for Pillar I is not even sufficient to pay farmers the same Basic Payment in 2021 as they got this year. We want to see an increased overall budget to cover inflation and any extra asks on farmers.
“Asking farmers to do more with less funding is a no-go. Minister Cowen acknowledged the case we made and committed to continuing the fight for increased funding,” Cullinan said.
€50m beef fund
The IFA delegation, which included the deputy president Brian Rushe and director general Damian McDonald, also raised the isse of the €50m fund for beef finishers.
“We made it clear to the Minister that the funding has to be released immediately and without unnecessary conditions or red tape,” Cullinan added.
Read more
IFA seeks ‘concrete evidence’ of beef cartel
Minister Cowen’s response to beef sector ‘at odds with reality’ – Carthy
Weekly Podcast: Cowen’s controversy and calls for landslide investigation
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