Plea for struggling farmers to be supported as CAP negotiations loom

THE Family Farmers Association in Britain has called on the European Commission to provide ongoing financial support for working livestock producers and growers unable to make a living from agriculture.

A blueprint for the Common Agricultural Policy after 2013 is to be published by Brussels in November, triggering detailed negotiations, debate and eventual decisions.

Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister Brendan Smith is holding a series of meetings in other EU member states where he is outlining Ireland’s vision for a strong and properly funded CAP after 2013.

Mr Smith said the key context for Ireland is food supply and sustainable management of natural resources, including climate change.

“We want a coherent approach based on family farm structure that focuses on underlining the competitiveness of EU agriculture,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Family Farmers Association in Britain said it accepted the need for CAP reform.

But it warned that support was still needed so farmers could produce wholesome food at sensible prices and care for the countryside and its wildlife in the process.

Association chairman Pippa Woods said payments should be made only to people actively farming and not to landlords or food processors.

She said the CAP needs reform because it costs a lot and its money is not always used to best advantage.

Rather than leave farmers at the mercy of the open market, direct support should continue.

“This aid is absolutely essential for the survival of most farms, which are quite unable to produce a living for a farmer under present trading conditions,” she said.

The FFA also said rural development support – known as Pillar Two funding – should also be restricted to farmers.

Programmes aimed specifically at helping smaller farms become viable would contribute greatly to the sustainability of rural communities.

At the same time, the FFA said more help was needed to encourage new entrants into farming.

“Young people would be more willing to work on farms if they had the possibility of becoming farmers themselves in the future,” it said.