CAP budget must be protected to secure farming's future
According to Farm Europe’s tracking, over the last 20 years, farm incomes per hectare have dropped by 12% and 37% of farmers have quit.
ICSA President Sean McNamara called on Minister Martin Heydon to fight for a properly funded CAP budget in Brussels.
“With everyone looking for a bigger slice of the EU budget, we cannot let farming get pushed to the back of the queue. CAP is the cornerstone of European agriculture, but competing demands and inflation are eating away at it.
"If the budget isn’t protected and adjusted for inflation, the CAP’s real value will be cut in half by 2034. That would be a disaster for farmers in Ireland and across the EU.”
Mr McNamara said analysis by our colleagues in Farm Europe highlights that without proper indexation to inflation, the CAP will lose 54% of its real value by 2034. Additionally, the possible accession of Ukraine to the EU could see 20% of the CAP budget diverted away from existing farmers.
“Farmers are already being squeezed from every angle. According to Farm Europe’s tracking, over the last 20 years, farm incomes per hectare have dropped by 12%, 37% of farmers have quit, and agricultural debt has shot up by 30%. We have also lost over 11 million hectares of farmland, and we’re importing more food than ever.”
Continuing Mr McNamara said, “Food security, rural livelihoods, and Europe's ability to stand on its own depend on a strong CAP. If policymakers don’t take action now, we will see an irreversible decline."
