Specific Details
Common Agriculture Policy (CAP)
Intended results
Budget - A strong CAP Budget post-2020 is critical for farm incomes, farm output and wider economic activity. The Commission has identified that since the last CAP reform, agricultural prices have fallen substantially and market uncertainty has increased, mainly due to macroeconomic factors and geopolitical decisions. In order for farmers to meet these additional challenges, and to reverse the cuts imposed in the MFF 2014-2020, the CAP budget must be increased in the next reform
Farm Income - As per the original objectives of the CAP, set out in the Treaty of Rome, the CAP post 2020 must ensure a fair standard of living for farmers. The Basic Payment under Pillar I must remain the main instrument for underpinning and stabilising farm incomes, including the option of coupled support.
Pillar I and Pillar II - The two pillar model of the CAP must be retained. The role of the Basic Payment and market support measures in Pillar 1 is to support farm incomes and the delivery of public goods. The main focus of the Rural Development Programme under CAP Pillar II is on farm-based economic, environmental and social programmes.
Basic Payment and the Active Farmer - The Basic Payment under Pillar I must provide income support for active farmers, based upon relevant and objective measurements.
Greening The current structure of the Basic Payment, with the separate 30% Greening element is too complex. In the next CAP reform, the Basic Payment should incorporate the greening element in full, and farmers would be required to meet environmental requirements in the areas of water, soil and biodiversity, under cross compliance and SMRs.
Market Support Measures and Volatility - A full range of market support measures, including intervention and Aids to Private Storage (APS), should be provided in the CAP post 2020. It is essential that the trigger levels for these supports are set at realistic levels to provide meaningful income support to producers when required.
- Increasing price and income volatility require the consideration of additional, targeted, measures, to allow farmers to directly manage risks in their own enterprises. These measures should be provided under Pillar II, be optional for Member States, and voluntary for individual farmers. Rural
Rural Development - The current rural development policy with its diverse range of flexible instruments is critically important in supporting targeted programmes that reflect the different needs and circumstances in Member States. The strong Rural Development Plan set out under the Cork 2.0 declaration A Better Life in Rural Areas must be a key priority for the re-shaped CAP.
It is critical that a well-funded Rural Development programme is agreed as part of the re-shaped CAP Post-2020. For farm-level programmes across all sectors, it is very important that funding is primarily directed at the farmers who are participating in the programmes. The Rural Development Plan (RDP) must contain measures that:
* Improve competitiveness at farm level, support innovation and diversification, and extend knowledge transfer, through investment supports, including direct grant aid and use of financial instruments;
* Encourage restructuring of the agriculture sector, both for new entrants and those looking to retire from farming;
* Supports farming in Areas of Natural Constraint;
* Enhance the rural environment and landscape;
* Assist farmers in meeting new challenges, including climate change mitigation, renewable energy, water management and biodiversity; and
* Encourage enterprise development and employment in the rural economy.
Simplification and Modernisation:
- There is a need for real reform and simplification in the CAP post 2020. The last CAP reform, with the inclusion of greening, has added to the complexity for farmers. The entire inspection process needs to be simplified and streamlined in an efficient and more farmer friendly manner. Currently farm inspections are extremely complex and bureaucratic, with a full inspection similar to a forensic examination involving hundreds of questions, many of which are incomprehensible.
- In addition, compliance with schemes under the Rural Development Programme has become more complex. The family farm is a constantly changing working environment, reflecting different production systems and seasons. The rules and regulations of the payment system and inspection regime must take account of the practical realities of farming.
Positive simplification under cross compliance/GAEC and SMRs must be introduced in the next CAP reform. Practical simplification measures would include: • Movement away from the audit inspection structure, through the increased use of technology and risk based analysis. The inspection rate across all schemes should be limited to a maximum of 1%, with no duplication of inspections across different inspection headings • 14 days advance notice should be provided for all on-farm checks.
Farmers selected for inspection cannot be discriminated against by delays to their payments. • Where appropriate, penalties should be applied in the following year, in order that payments are not delayed. • A fairer and more proportionate penalty regime involving greater tolerances, the removal of cumulative penalties and a reduction in the overall penalties on farmers.
The number of cross compliance and SMRs should be reduced, by removing measures that are no longer appropriate or relevant. • The inspection regime and cross compliance requirements should provide farmers with a right to rectify non-compliances within a designated time frame without penalty • An extension of the new yellow card approach.
Intergenerational renewal
IFA supports the continuation of measures to support intergenerational renewal in both Pillars I and II, including the Young Farmer Scheme, National Reserve, and targeted measures under Pillar II. IFA is clear that intergenerational renewal must be enhanced through encouraging farmers to retire, in addition to providing supports for new entrants.
Strengthening farmers’ position in the food supply chain (FSC):
There is a major imbalance of power in the FSC between large retailers and processors and the farmer, resulting in downward pressure on prices, often below the costs of production at farm level. The recommendations of the AMTF, including market transparency, risk management, tackling unfair trading practices and below cost selling, use of contracts, access to finance and resolving the interaction of CAP with competition rules, must be progressed, as a complement to supporting a reformed CAP.
The rules of Producer Organisations must be simplified, to encourage increased participation and engagement from the primary producer, and to strengthen their position in the supply chain.
Community Preference
The CAP must support the continued provision of a secure supply of high quality sustainably produced food for the EU consumer, which meets the highest food safety, environmental, animal health and welfare standards. As a result of these higher standards, EU food producers face higher costs of production.
There must be greater coherence between the Common Agricultural Policy, which requires the highest standards of production, and EU trade policy. It is essential that the EU finds the correct balance between opening new markets and trade opportunities, and protecting sensitive sectors.
Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity
Joe Healy IFA President, Angus Woods IFA Livestock Chairman, Rowena Dwyer IFA Chief Economist
Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?)
No
Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign?
No
Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client?
No
Lobbying activity
The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.
Designated public officials lobbied
The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them.
As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.
Brendan Gleeson
Assistant Secretary (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)
Andrew Doyle
Minister of State (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)
Seán Kelly
MEP (European Parliament)
Mairead McGuinness
MEP (European Parliament)
Matt Carthy
MEP (European Parliament)
Charlie McConalogue
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Pat Deering
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Jackie Cahill
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Martin Kenny
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Willie Penrose
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Thomas Pringle
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Tim Lombard
Senator (Seanad)
Paul Daly
Senator (Seanad)
Michelle Mulherin
Senator (Seanad)
Pádraig Mac Lochlainn
Senator (Seanad)
Liadh Ní Riada
MEP (European Parliament)