Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) president Denis Drennan has claimed that a food security pledge contained in new EU strategic agenda could prove to be an important signal for Irish farmers.

However, Drennan stated that the strategy must turn discussions on the next CAP towards increasing the policy’s budget.

The recently-published strategy agreed by EU leaders lays out a commitment to push for a “competitive, sustainable and resilient agricultural sector” to continue to meet the EU’s food security needs.

Drennan argued that this was a more definitive aim than had been outlined in the previous EU Green Deal focused strategy statement.

“This is the point that the Green Deal just never seemed to understand: producing enough food securely for the population of the EU - and producing that from within our own resources - is at least as important as ensuring that it’s produced in a climate-efficient manner,” the ICMSA president said.

“This strategic agenda that will run up to 2029 understands that reality and starts from that point. That is welcome and hopefully represents a move towards reality over aspiration.

“We hope that this welcome refocus, this rediscovery of the original motive and function of CAP, will be followed on by a meaningful increase in the CAP budget that will deliver a policy that will make a real difference to farmers.”

Shifting payments

The farm leader claimed that the diversion of direct payments away from production and towards the environment is “silly and counter-productive”.

“We have ended up with a direct payments system that’s actually weighted against a farmer producing food and in favour of someone actually reducing the amount of food produced from their holding: it’s the exact opposite of what is required and what CAP was designed to do,” Drennan said.

“This potential change of direction must now be reinforced by a meaningful increase in the CAP budget and that second part of the equation must be called for by Ireland as soon as possible and while the iron is hot in terms of policy ambition.

“There’s just no point in recognising the need for food security if the farmers you are looking to for that food security are being wiped out through lack of supports and a system that allows - even encourages - corporate margin-grabbing.”