CAP reforms must not undermine productive farmers, warns IFA

Active, productive farmers should not be undermined in any redistribution of the Single Farm Payment under the post-2013 reformed CAP, IFA president John Bryan has warned.

He has urged Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney, who attended a meeting of the EU’s farm council in Brussels yesterday, to ensure the new CAP is drawn to support farmers and underpin production.

He said the key issue for Irish farmers is securing a fully-funded CAP budget for both Pillar I and Pillar II.

Mr Bryan said: “Minister Coveney must take a strong position on the budget, and intensify his efforts by building alliances with like-minded countries to secure the necessary flexibilities in CAP reform that fully support active, productive farmers.

“Any redistribution of the Single Farm Payment cannot undermine farm viability, and must be minimal and spread out over the longest timeframe possible.

“Redistribution must be targeted at young farmers, and at active farmers with low payments through the national reserve, using objective criteria, with the option of coupled support for vulnerable sectors.”

Mr Bryan also urged Mr Coveney to secure a 70% advance on the Single Farm Payment from Oct 16, in response to the bad weather and the income difficulties on farms. A similar case was successfully made in 2009, when the usual 50% advance was increased in response to a collapse in the global milk price.

Meanwhile, AIB has invited any farmers experiencing, or who anticipate, cash-flow difficulties caused by the weather to contact the relevant relationship manager in their branch as early as possible.

AIB head of business banking John Webb said the bank “is anxious to do what it can to assist its agri-customers”.