Over 4,400 Wexford farms could be affected under CAP proposed changes

Irish Independent

15 hours ago

'This isn't the way forward. CAP has long been the cornerstone of Irish agriculture. Faced with growing challenges like farm succession and food security, we must protect the CAP and our farming communities to prevent the decline of Irish farming.'
This comes from a draft proposal at the European Commission with plans to merge CAP with EU cohesion, migration and infrastructure funding from 2028. This would mean CAP would no longer be standalone funded.
'The changes the EU is considering for the CAP payments could be disastrous for farming communities across Ireland, not least here in Wicklow–Wexford. The EU's budget operates in seven-year cycles, with the current one running from 2021 to 2027.
'Such a move would have far-reaching consequences for nine million farmers across 27 EU countries' Deputy Ó Súilleabháin said.
He further said CAP plays a vital role in stabilising food prices, and was introduced to help keep food at an affordable price. 'Dairy farmers warn these proposals could trigger immediate inflation in food costs - at a time when the cost of living in Ireland is already soaring' Fionntán added.
Deputy Ó Súilleabháin highlighted that 4,437 farms in Wexford could be affected under the proposed changes. 'Older farmers could lose their CAP payments when they start drawing their pensions, forcing them to choose between their pension and the farm if it hasn't yet been handed down to family' he said.
He said that part-time farmers that rely on off-farm employment would also see their CAP support disappear. 'No one should be forced to make such choices.
'We support retaining the two-pillar CAP system, alongside reforms that guarantee a fairer deal for family farmers and halt the ongoing erosion of CAP funding' he said.