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DEAR SIR: I welcome Minister Creed’s recent decision to halt the process of convergence in 2020 until the new CAP has been finalised. The principle of convergence is that all landowners get a flat payment regardless of output, area or income. This has put huge pressure on the drystock sector eg, sheep and suckler cows. As their supports were directly related to the livestock on their farms, farmers in these sectors had a huge dependence on the single farm payment. The origin of these payments was based on the livestock held on farms in the year 2000 and this must now evolve to reflect the realities on the ground today.
We must use this window of opportunity to come up with a policy that reflects the livestock on individual farms today
It is very simplistic for Charlie McConalogue TD to suggest that we drive on with full convergence. I would hope that the party would put a bit more thought into this policy coming into the next election. What may be good for his constituency would be a disaster for the country as a whole, which is why Fianna Fáil should look at the CAP as a means of supporting the livestock sector.
We must use this window of opportunity to come up with a policy that reflects the livestock on individual farms today. This can be easily done, given the data that is available to the Department. Suckler and sheep farmers are under huge financial pressure and as a result, we see ewe and suckler cow numbers falling dramatically (almost 1,000 suckler cows per week are disappearing). This is beginning to reflect in rural Ireland and will lead to land abandonment. We must try and retain our place in the EU and world markets and be sustainable and environmentally friendly. We will need both market price and direct support in these sectors.
If we blindly follow the path of convergence, how will we be able to justify these direct supports just because we are land owners?
I am disappointed to see Colm O’Donnell of the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) pushing convergence, as the majority of these payments need to go to the farmers that are producing the stock. Ireland needs a policy that reflects the agricultural activity on the ground and move away from the “give everyone the same and see what happens” approach. If we blindly follow the path of convergence, how will we be able to justify these direct supports just because we are land owners? It is crucial to rural Ireland that we keep our agriculture productive and we need to look at a system that increases payments to low income sectors. The CAP supports should be tailored to support a vibrant agriculture in rural Ireland and retain the family farm, which is the heartbeat of our industry.
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