The Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has confirmed that one of the most important outstanding issues in negotiations on the next Common Agricultural Policy revolves around the definition of “farmer” and “active farmer”.
Speaking today (Monday 6 July) in Athlone, Minister Martin Haydon once again detailed Ireland’s agriculture and fishing priorities during its EU Presidency.
Ireland is set to play a pivotal role in shaping negotiations on both the next long-term EU budget and the future of the Common Agricultural Policy, and decisions taken over the coming months are expected to determine the future direction of farm finance and agricultural policy.
Minister Haydon said today that Ireland will work to support farming and fishing families, protect incomes, enhance competitiveness, preserve rural and coastal communities, and achieve the right balance between the economic, social and environmental pillars of sustainability.
“At the heart of the work will be the future of the Common Agricultural Policy after 2027.
“The Common Agricultural Policy is part of the foundations of the European Union. This policy, set out in the Treaties, has helped secure food production, support farm incomes, support rural and coastal communities, and provide a common framework for European agriculture over many decades.
“As we look to the next CAP, it must continue to do these things. These priorities must guide negotiations on the future framework and budget. They must be common, stable, fair and workable in practice.”
According to Minister Haydon, “farmers need certainty” and need accessible schemes, proportionate rules, flexibility to reflect regional realities and sectoral differences, and a framework that allows them to plan and invest.
He said Ireland wants to ensure the Common Agricultural Policy retains its “vision, integrity and delivery capacity as a common EU policy”.
Minister Haydon said that as negotiations progressed, attention was increasingly turning to “a substantive choice and set of choices that will determine how the future Common Agricultural Policy will work in practice.”
“These include questions about targeting, simplification, flexibility and the overall balance between common EU objectives and member states’ discretion.
“We don’t want to emphasize the power that was part of the common market.
“But we recognize that member states work differently and are flexible enough to design approaches at national level without undermining the strength of the commonalities in the CAP. It is a balance we want to get right and it is a delicate balance.”
Active farmer
According to Minister Haydon, one of the most important outstanding issues “relates to the definitions of farmer and active farmer.”
“While there appears to be broad support for keeping the definition of farmer broadly in line with the current framework, significant differences remain regarding the concept of active farmer, including its scope and potential mandatory application,” he added.
According to the Minister, given the implications for eligibility and implementation across the Common Agricultural Policy, further discussions will be needed to “define a working landing zone”.
simplification
Minister Haydon said Ireland was also keenly aware that there was a “need for greater flexibility and subsidiarity”.
“Many delegations continue to seek additional discretion in the design and implementation of CAP interventions, and have called for a number of existing mandatory measures to be made voluntary.
“The challenge is to strike the right balance between flexibility of member states and maintaining the common nature of the Common Agricultural Policy.
He added, “Simplification will be central to all of this.”
According to Minister Haydon, farmers want to spend their time managing their farms and want rules that are clear, proportionate and effectively enforceable on the ground.
