Farmers sow seeds of protest in Dublin

Thousands of farmers are to gather outside Dublin Castle today to demand that the impact of CAP reforms on direct farm payments be minimised.

The IFA-led protest coincides with the visit of EU agriculture commissioner Dacian Ciolos. On Saturday, 1,000 farmers made a similar protest outside Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney’s constituency office in Carrigaline, Co Cork.

The IFA is urging the minister to use his chairmanship of next week’s council of ministers meeting to ensure CAP talks criteria focus on rewarding productive farmers, with reforms likely to be formally agreed by end of June. The IFA’s concern is that a land-based grant (the “flattening” model) will reward what they call hobbyists and armchair farmers, giving landlords direct farm payments that should go to farmers whose output would bolster EU food security.

Mr Coveney restated his “consistent” CAP negotiating stance of the past 18 months at a meeting with IFA officials following their protest on Saturday. He said that flexibility for localised single farm payment (SFP) distribution models was still on the negotiating table.

“I am still opposed to the flattening model,” he said. “I am working with other EU ministers to build support for an alternative model of flattening, and we have also made good progress towards a derogation for individual member states.

“I have outlined my position on this, and I have always told farmers that compromise is an essential part of this process. There will be cuts as the overall budget is down by 3.3%.

“People had expected a 10% cut, so people need to put a bit of trust in our negotiating position again now. People need to keep cool heads, and stick to the plan that has been endorsed in my meetings with the IFA, ICMSA, ICSA, and others all over the country.

“I am not interested in protecting just one class of farmer. There are 123,000 farmers in receipt of SFP, and my position is to protect the interests of all Irish farmers, big and small. I now need to get my position over the line in talks with 27 member states, and I will take a very stubborn position to achieve this.”

The IFA claims that the EU proposal to introduce a minimum payment of €196 per hectare will see 80,000 farmers lose up to 40% of their income. In terms of income losers, the IFA cites 61,000 farmers currently on €250/ha and 17,000 farmers on €200-€250/ha.

It said a farmer with 30 suckler cows on 30ha on €14,000 annual SFP is facing a €4,000-plus cut. This sample small farmer is likely to be driven out of agriculture, said the IFA.

At the upper end, the IFA wants those farmers looking at post-quota expansion from 2015 onwards to be rewarded for food output. Instead, the land-based payment model will see SFP going to inactive landlords, sending land rental costs skyward, effectively punishing active food producers.

IFA president John Bryan said Mr Coveney had to reject a minimum payment.

“He has to push strongly for objective criteria such as stocking rates and labour units as the basis of minimising losses for productive farmers,” said Mr Bryan.

“IFA is insisting that monies available for redistribution are targeted at active farmers, and not to inactive or hobby farmers, most of whom don’t depend on farming for their living.

“The minister’s proposals are effectively capitalising SFP payments into land ownership rather than production, which will be a disaster for land mobility and growth. The CAP proposals on the table are moving too far, too quickly towards a flat payment system, and unless the minister stands up and shouts stop, irreparable damage will be done to Irish agriculture.”