This is a subscriber-only article
The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has urged farmers to take part in COPA-COGECA’s European-wide petition which aims to urge the EU Commission to deliver a fully funded two-pillar CAP.
The call comes in advance of the EU Commission proposals for the Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF) and new CAP proposals, expected on Wednesday 16 July.
The Commission has previously discussed a single fund approach which could see Pillar I and Pillar II of CAP funding grouped together along with fifty other spending programmes within the EU Budget.
IFA president Francie Gorman has expressed concern over potential changes to how EU funding will be allocated to agriculture under the next CAP programme.
“The EU Commission’s single-fund suggestion would be the end of CAP as we know it and could potentially have massive consequences for Irish and European agriculture,” he said.
“We made it clear that IFA and COPA-COGECA believe the single fund proposal is a flawed approach that has the capacity to completely undermine how vulnerable sectors in particular are supported by CAP.”
Simplification
The Commission have spoke about simplifying the bureaucracy involved in agriculture, however, the IFA said this “rushed” approach could undermine that.
“Yet here we are with rushed proposals with little engagement beforehand and potentially a complete upheaval of how CAP funding is delivered to farmers,” added Gorman.
“A unified message from Irish and European farmers will reinforce the ongoing work to deter the EU Commission from making this flawed misstep, and I encourage our members and all Irish farmers to take time to fill sign this petition.
“We need a dedicated, robust, fully funded two-pillar CAP that has farmers and food production at its core.”
To sign the petition, click here.
SHARING OPTIONS: