New €10bn CAP strategic plan will undermine food production - IFA president

The newly announced CAP strategic plan (CSP) will undermine food production, according to the president of the The Irish Farmers Association (IFA). 

Tim Cullinan made the comment after the CSP was approved by Cabinet yesterday (October 4). 

The approved plan will reportedly deliver almost €10 billion to farm families over the next five years, and aims to meet the twin objectives of ensuring the continued viability of family farms and maximising the environmental and social sustainability of the sector. 

However, President Cullinan has identified a number of issues. 

He said, "The impact of the Eco schemes along with further convergence, front loading and greater conditionality will hit a cohort of our most productive farmers the hardest. 

"A number of the new schemes including the suckler cow, sheep and environmental schemes are underfunded. Last week’s Budget was a missed opportunity to rectify this." 

According to the IFA president, the environmental scheme, ACRES, also needs "significant changes to ensure it is workable for farmers". 

He pointed out aspects of the plan which he believes to be "unrealistic", including Senator Pippa Hackett's prediction of a fivefold increase in organic production in just five years. 

He said, "The capacity for the market to deliver a sustainable income for organic farmers is not currently there. 

"As we have seen over the past 12 months, the landscape of farming and the economy can drastically change, and it continues to do so. This plan needs to have flexibility and be adaptable to any future changes, this is something that Commissioner Wojciechowski also reiterated when he addressed IFA back in May." 

Speaking after yesterday's approval, Senator Hackett, who is the Minister of State for Land Use and Biodiversity, said, "This CAP is very different from previous plans. It contains a host of measures that I know will deliver for farmers, their families, and their incomes, while also protecting our soil, water, habitats and climate. 

"In particular, I am pleased with the fivefold increase in funding to support organic farming which will help us achieve our target of 330,000ha of organically farmed land by the end of the upcoming CAP period. 

"It will also support women who are heads of farm households. I am very happy to see that women farmers will qualify for higher TAMS grants and also that there will be separate Knowledge Transfer Groups for women."