ICSA president Dermot Kelleher has said Ireland’s CAP programme signed off today by the EU is already no longer fit for purpose in the context of rapidly escalating costs. “As things stand this CAP programme is no longer fit to deal with food security, nor is it fit to provide income security for food producers,” he said.
Mr Kelleher said he is calling on the government to detail how it is going to fund climate ambition and keep primary producers economically viable. “This CAP – with its limited budget – cannot deliver on these dual goals. Achieving tough climate targets is costly and if the government are serious about a just transition for farming, then now is the time to step forward with the financial supports that will keep farming businesses viable as they grapple with meeting climate targets.”
“The fact is that the next CAP will further undermine the support for productive farmers in the beef, suckler and sheep sectors. That was bad enough two years ago, but today, escalating costs means there is a disaster in the making for cattle and sheep farmers.”
“We now need a detailed examination of how climate ambition is going to be funded. One thing is clear; the CAP is no longer fit to cover all the extra cost caused by input inflation and the potential extra costs in reducing emissions. Consumers have a limit on how much extra can be paid for food, but farmers also have a limit in terms of how much extra cost they can carry.”
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