Minister McConalogue must explain his decision not to proceed with the convergence of CAP farm payments during the transitionary period, Sinn Féin spokesperson for agriculture Matt Carthy has said.The Cavan-Monaghan TD highlighted that while in opposition, the current Minister was firmly committed to convergence, having chastised then-Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed for not continuing the practice.
Minister McConalogue must explain his decision not to proceed with the convergence of CAP farm payments during the transitionary period, Sinn Féin spokesperson for agriculture Matt Carthy has said.
The Cavan-Monaghan TD highlighted that while in opposition, the current Minister was firmly committed to convergence, having chastised then-Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed for not continuing the practice.
Carthy said: “It is widely recognised that there is an inherent unfairness in the distribution of CAP farm payments, as a small minority of farm enterprises draw down exorbitant payments, while most family farmers struggle with relatively meagre supports.
“This unfairness needs to be addressed. Sinn Féin advocates for a front-loaded payment per hectare, with a maximum Pillar 1 payment limit of €60,000 per annum.”
Historical imbalances
Sinn Féin has described the lack of action on convergence as bewildering, with farmers in Donegal standing to benefit €12m in the event of a full flattening.
“It seems that the Minister will delay and frustrate any and every opportunity to re-distribute farm payments, just as his predecessors have done.
“By doing so, he will be doing a huge disservice to the majority of farming families.
“The evidence points to an EU move towards enforcing convergence measures.
“Rather than wait to be forced, the Minister should be proactively working to correct the historical imbalances in Irish farm supports.”
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