The Irish Natura & Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) has detailed the need for an inclusive CAP post-2028 that supports all farmers.
Speaking on this, National President Pheilim Molloy outlined how the CAP programme, which currently supports over 113,000 farmers, “must not become the preserve of an elite.”
With discussions on the new CAP programme intensifying, Molloy stressed the need for any definition, especially around stocking density, “to recognise and accommodate the various land types and restrictions that farmers have to operate under.”
It has he continued “been suggested by some, that the new CAP programme should have a minimum stocking rate of 1LU/ha, which if applied could leave over 90,000 farmers or 80% without CAP support.”
While the remaining 20% may he added: “Like this idea, the outcome would be devastating for rural communities and farming in general, including for the 20% left, as it would considerably weaken our lobbying ability while undermining critical services such as veterinary, contractors, our co-ops and other farm services.”
It should, the INHFA leader stressed, “be the priority of everyone in the agri-food sector to ensure as many farmers as possible remain actively involved in farming and CAP supports are a critical part of this.”
With regard to the wide variety of land types across the country, Molloy stated “how farming practices are in most instances a reflection of the landscape especially across our hills and on heavier peat soils, where farmers are limited in the type of stock and stocking rate they can carry.”
However, any such farmer is, he stressed, “farming to the optimum while producing food sustainably in line with CAP requirements, so any attempt to penalise a farmer because of their land type isn’t just unfair, it undermines everything that CAP is about.”
Molloy then pointed to environmental restrictions, such as the habitats directive, which currently affect over 30,000 farmers. These restrictions, which are covered under the Natura 2000 land designations (special areas of conservation- SAC, and special protected areas – SPAs), have he stated: “often restricted farming activity through specific actions such as the limiting of stocking density.”
Here, the INHFA president was adamant that “any attempt to restrict access to CAP funding through actions that don’t take into account the very limiting impact of these designations would definitely be challenged in the European Court of Justice, but we would hope it doesn’t ever come to that.”
In conclusion, Molloy stressed the need for a common-sense approach in relation to developing the new CAP programme, stating that “any attempt to divide farmers in order to support an elite will have devastating consequences for everyone.”