Protecting CAP must be a priority – Lynch

It is essential to ringfence the current Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) budget and provide more funding to help farmers attain their environmental goals, said a Fine Gael Senator.

Senator Eileen Lynch said that any proposed changes to CAP must have the impacts on farmers at the forefront of decision making.

“This is an incredibly important CAP budget for us, not just right now but in terms of regeneration and renewal when it comes to farming. We are in a situation whereby food productivity, food efficiency and food production are becoming increasingly important,” Senator Lynch said.

“Proposals on the format of the next CAP post-2027 are to be released by the European Commission next month, along with proposals on the future Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), the EU’s long-term budget.

“While any proposals released are just proposals and not final, we must make the case for securing CAP and increasing that funding to support farmers as they navigate new environmental processes.

“It is not only important that the current budget is maintained and ring-fenced but that the budget would be expanded and extended.”

Senator Lynch recently spoke on the CAP budget within the MFF at the recent Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs (COSAC) in Warsaw and on the European Union Affairs Committee last week.

“Only 6% of European farmers are under the age of 35 and this will pose huge issues for Ireland and the EU in terms of agricultural renewal. I will continue to work with my colleague, Minister Martin Heydon, to ensure Irish farmers are protected.

“We need to see straightforward measures that farmers can understand and implement. We must secure the future of agriculture in Ireland by securing CAP”, concluded Senator Lynch.