INHFA backs calls for increased CAP budget

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THE Irish Natura & Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) have backed the recent call made by the budgetary committee of the European Parliament for increased funding in the new CAP programme for the 2028 - 2034 period.

National president Pheilim Molloy outlined the need for a well-funded CAP budget to support farmers in the production of food and the ever increasing environmental burden.

Any new budget must, he maintained, see increased funding (to a minimum of 130% of the current budget) and not the enormous cut currently proposed, which if applied will decimate the industry and the wider rural communities.

In advocating for a budget increase, Mr. Molloy pointed to the following factors as key elements in this demand:

· Escalating input costs, including energy, feed, fertiliser, and compliance-related expenses

· The need to safeguard food security across the European Union

· The disproportionate economic vulnerability of extensive and marginal farming systems

With regard to the decision of the budgetary committee of the EU parliament to seek increased funding of €139 billion, Mr. Molloy welcomed the announcement and said he is 'hopeful that this proposal will be supported by other parliamentary committees and across other EU institutions'.

Beyond the demand for an increased budget, the INHFA leader outlined the need for a single clear definition of a farmer and proposed the following wording: 'A natural or legal person whose holding is situated in the Union and who exercises an agricultural activity on the agricultural areas of the holding.'

He said: “This definition will ensure inclusivity while maintaining clarity and it also fulfils the ambition of the Treaty for the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU), where all farmers have a legitimate expectation to be treated equitably and fairly.”

The association, he added, is currently finalising specific details relating to the new CAP, based on the draft proposals made by the EU Commission last summer which will be made available in due course.

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