Unanimous EU fish council agreement marks major milestone for CAP 2028-2034
The Agri-fish Council reached a unanimous agreement on the future CAP framework.
A vote has secured a unanimous agreement on a partial general approach (PGA) on the CAP post-2027.
The Agri-fish Council approved the PGA on October 26, setting out the regulation that establishes the framework for the Common Agricultural Policy for 2028-2034.
Agriculture minister Martin Heydon said: “The Irish presidency has secured unanimous agreement on the council’s position on the future CAP. This is a major milestone on the road to the next CAP, and follows months of intensive engagement with member states and the European Commission to develop a balanced compromise.
"This unanimous agreement is the council’s blueprint for a flexible and farmer-focused CAP to support the next generation of European farmers… The council’s position will now provide the basis for negotiations with the European Parliament on the final shape of the regulation."
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The PGA has seven main elements for the future CAP:
- A simpler framework tailored to national and regional needs;
- A better-targeted income support for active farmers;
- Investing in the next generation of farmers;
- Farm stewardship and environmental ambition;
- Stronger risk management and crisis support;
- Farm relief services and improved work-life balance;
- Stronger rural areas and communities.
Under the proposed EU budget framework, existing funding streams, including CAP support, would be brought together within a new national and regional partnership (NRPP) plan. This would entail all member states preparing a single comprehensive national plan replacing the current separate plans and programmes covering cohesion, agriculture, fisheries, migration, security and the social climate fund.
The current two-pillar CAP will be reduced to a single funding structure; the reform would retain the tools and interventions in the CAP while adapting them to the new budgetary framework, and a number of CAP-related provisions have already been agreed through the council’s partial position on the NRPP Regulation.
The proposed degressive area-based income support scheme will aim to simplify current payment systems and reflect individual circumstances for farmers. This is to help improve the distribution of funding, with particular attention to active, young and small farmers.
The council has introduced a redistributive mechanism within the scheme that would be similar to the Complementary Redistributive Income Support for Sustainability (CRISS) under the current CAP.
This would require member states to establish a definition of an active farmer and will allow national authorities to retain flexibility to adapt the definition based on their own circumstances.
The commission has proposed ringfencing about €300bn for CAP income support and crisis measures, with additional funding potentially available through national and regional partnership plans. The proposal also includes a unity safety net intended to support farmers in the event of market disturbances.
Generational renewal is a central objective of the future CAP — the framework aims to make farming a more attractive and accessible career to young people. Member states will be required to provide higher income support support for young farmers.
Young farmers will also receive support to establish their businesses and develop viable agricultural enterprises. Additional assistance would include access to knowledge, training, advice and relevant support services.
Member states will be required to establish a generational renewal strategy. A dedicated starter pack designed to bring together measures to facilitate and support new entrants will also be available.
The council position aims to ensure the next CAP contributes effectively to environmental and climate objectives while maintaining viable agricultural businesses.
In this context, the proposed framework establishes common requirements for receiving support, alongside incentives for farmers who adopt protective practices that benefit the environment. The protective practices refer to, for instance, measures that benefit biodiversity or help protect watercourses.
With the growing uncertainty facing farmers as a result of extreme weather events, animal and plant diseases and market volatility, the council has agreed to strengthen the sector’s capacity to anticipate, manage and recover from risks and crises.
The framework would support risk management tools, including insurance protection, as well as providing support for investments in climate mitigation and adaptation, helping farms prepare for and respond to changing climatic conditions.
Member states would be able to provide crisis payments to farmers affected by natural disasters, adverse climatic events and other catastrophic events. Eligible crises would include events caused by animal and plant diseases.
Member states would have the option to establish farm relief services. These services would help farmers access replacement workers when they are ill or need to take leave. Support could cover circumstances relating to childbearing and childcare.
The future CAP would continue to support initiatives aimed at strengthening rural communities and improving quality of life in rural areas, with particular attention given to areas facing specific disadvantages.
Supports could be provided for projects that diversify farm activities, helping farmers develop additional sources of income — an example of this would be agrotourism.
The CAP would also continue to support innovation and digitalisation in rural areas.
“The CAP is central to supporting farmers, maintaining food production and sustaining rural communities across Europe. The agreed text provides a framework that combines a common European approach with the flexibility member states need to respond to their own agricultural circumstances,” Mr Heydon explained.
"This regulation includes the ability to support both full-time and part-time farmers, provide a flexible package of supports for generational renewal, including supporting the older generation and delivering a full range of tailored supports.”
