Irish farm organisations are divided over CAP reform as a potential compromise deal starts to take shape in Brussels.

Compromise proposals that were agreed on Thursday night have set the rate of convergence in the next CAP at 85%.

Irish Farmers Association (IFA) president Tim Cullinan is in Brussels to attend a farm protest on Friday morning, which aims to highlight the dangers for farming in the proposals.

The protest is organised by Copa-Cogeca, an EU-wide umbrella farm organisation of which Cullinan is a vice-president, and two Belgian farmers’ groups.

Cuts

Speaking ahead of the protest, Cullinan said: “A cohort of farmers, many of whom are our most productive farmers, are being hit with huge cuts under the CAP.”

The IFA has been pushing to minimise the level of payment convergence at 75% and limit the volume of direct payments being ringfenced for eco schemes.

It is concerned that the reforms will move money away from viable farms.

“In addition, climate proposals contained in the Green Deal could result in huge additional regulations being imposed on the same group of farmers,” Cullinan said.

The protest will focus on a perceived ‘domino effect’ from CAP reform, the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies and the EU’s trade policy, which Copa says will crush farmers.

“The EU policies, and those of our own Government, will have a very negative impact on these farmers and will make them unviable,” Cullinan said.

Full flattening

However, the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) has also sent a delegation to Brussels to lobby negotiators for further convergence in the next CAP reform.

INHFA president Colm O’Donnell said the organisation was in Brussels seeking fairness for 73,000 farmers, who it says will gain under full convergence.

“We’re waiting 20 years for a bit of fairness – we have an unfair system based on production from 20 years ago.

"It’s time to get convergence done so all farmers have an equal opportunity to receive Pillar I payments,” O’Donnell said.

The INHFA is also seeking a uniform level of payments per hectare under eco schemes along with front loaded payments.