EU Commission official told Size of CAP budget will be 'litmus test'

The ICMSA has highlighted a number of key points in relation to CAP reform, at a high level meeting with an EU Commission official in Dublin.

Speaking following the meeting with Mr. Gijs Schilthuis, the EU Commission’s Director of Sustainability at DG Agriculture, in the Dublin office of the EU Commission on October 14, the President of ICMSA, Denis Drennan said that ICMSA had stressed a number of key points in relation to the next CAP reform with special emphasis being laid on the question of the budget allocated to CAP in the next MFF.

“There is no point ‘sugar-coating’ this matter; unless the budget allocation to CAP is increased substantially from the minimum €300 billion currently proposed – which, by the way, represents an €87 billion cut on the current allocation – then CAP has no chance of meeting its stated objectives," said Mr Drennan.

"It will not support sustainable agriculture, and it will certainly fail to maintain the EU model of agriculture based on the family farm," he said.

Mr Drennan said the delegation who met with Mr. Schilthuis that adequate funding and index linked CAP is essential for farming in the European Union.

"Mr Shcilthuis was told categorically that an adequately funded and index linked CAP is absolutely essential to the future of EU farming and must be strongly supported by our own Government”, said the ICMSA President.

In relation to other matters, Mr. Drennan said that ICMSA made it clear that CAP cannot be expected to support and fund all the additional environmental and other measures being imposed on farmers.

With regard to that issue he said separate budget headings will be required to address those matters. 

Mr Drennan also said there were blunt messages delivered on the question of the Commission’s so-called ‘Simplification’ drive.

“Talk to any farmer and they will tell you that they have seen no evidence of simplification at farm level," he said.

"Just this year, in the throes of this ‘simplification’ effort, we have seen further regulations added in relation to veterinary medicines and nitrates to name just two issues," added Mr Drennan,

He also commented that, in addition, "the insanely illogical EU Deforestation regulations" have only been postponed – not taken off the table completely. 

"Farmers understand the need for a level of regulation but are utterly frustrated by its unnecessary complexity and the constant loading and reloading of submissions on farmers where the Commission already has access to the information it’s demanding," he said.

"What makes this even more irritating is that the Commission persists with this practice while trying to ratify Mercusor where, realistically, we are entitled to have zero confidence in the regulatory process that’ll be applied to the farmers and beef exporters in the South American countries," he added.

Trust Collapsing

Mr Drennan said: "Confidence and trust in both the Commission and the process is collapsing under the contradictions that have been allowed develop and become embedded."

"“The litmus test here is the budget that will be allocated to CAP," he said.

"We’ll know immediately whether the Commission is in earnest and serious or whether they are just going through the motions yet again."