Inclusion of CAP in Single Fund will radically change income payments for farmers - Mayo MEP
A reduction of 22% in the CAP budget and its inclusion in the Single Fund will radically change how Irish farmers receive income payments, MEP Maria Walsh has said.
Under proposals from the European Commission published yesterday, the CAP budget for the period 2028 - 2034 will reduce by over 22% from its current level of €387 billion to €300 billion.
MEP Walsh is a full member of the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee and a substitute member of the Regional Development Committee. The European Commission’s proposal to include the CAP in the Single Fund is against the position of the European Parliament and that of the Agriculture Committee.
Ms. Walsh has repeatedly voted for and introduced amendments calling for an inflation-adjusted and separate CAP budget respecting the current two pillar structure of the CAP. She also wrote to President Ursula von der Leyen to highlight her concerns around the future of CAP financing and the policy’s two-pillar structure last May.
Said Ms. Walsh: “Time and again, I have highlighted the risks for Irish farmers of including the CAP in the Single Fund, but it appears this has fallen on deaf ears amongst the European Commission’s budgetary maestros. This new approach could reduce ringfenced funding, change the income payments system and ultimately harm our farmers and the development of rural Ireland.
“What today’s proposals show us is that the European Commission has made a calculated decision to downgrade the importance of the Common Agricultural Policy. The CAP is a lifeline to farmers across Ireland and the EU, yet this fact has been ignored by Commissioner for Budget Piotr Serafin.
“While the relevance of some pillar two tools - from farm advisory services to LEADER programmes - is maintained in the proposal, the funding is uncertain.
“Without guaranteed investment, our rural communities and farmers will undoubtedly suffer. The effects of this will range from reduced income payments for farmers to less investment in infrastructure across rural Ireland, in particular in the midlands and west of the country.
“I am very disappointed to see the abolishment of the ringfenced funding for LEADER programmes - I will be fighting within the Agriculture Committee to reverse this decision. LEADER programmes provide critical funding to rural initiatives. They are central to the development of rural Ireland and now face a real risk of losing their funding.
“Irish farmers require both the pillar one and pillar two interventions that are currently available; moving support away from this model is to the detriment of rural areas.”
She continued: “If we are to look for a positive within this package, it is the level of ambition for young farmers. Within the new Starter Pack for Young Farmers initiative, funding for costs of establishing a new farm will triple from €100,000 to €300,000 - this will be transformative for young Irish farmers.
“Each member state must also develop a generational renewal strategy, details of which I will be following closely from both the Commission and Irish government.
“After years of campaigning, I am heartened to see mental health included for the first time ever within the CAP, under the remit of farm advisory services. It was no mean feat to put mental health on the political agenda, but I would like to thank Commissioner Christophe Hansen for his commitment to the issue from day one.
“While the proposals are deeply disappointing, the fight is far from over. Now that we have the Commission’s blueprint, the real battle will begin and play out within the Parliament’s Agriculture Committee and the EU Council over the coming months.
“Crucially, the final negotiations will take place during the Irish Presidency of the EU Council in the second half of 2026 meaning that Irish ministers and MEPs will play a leading role in defining the final structure of the CAP.”