Mairead McGuinness Fine Gael MEP

Mairead pictured with Agriculture Commissioner, Dacian Ciolos

Ireland East MEP, Mairead McGuinness has called on the EU Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos, who visits Ireland tomorrow, to clarify the rationale behind the flat rate payment per hectare of land, as envisaged in the Commissions CAP reform proposals. And she expressed concern that the reforms as currently cast may suit auditors over farmers or the environment.

Describing the reforms as the most complex and difficult to face agriculture, McGuinness said there has been too little discussion about the flat rate payment.

“The Commission needs to explain the consequences of this proposal from an agronomic and environment perspective,” she said.

“It is also important that we understand and are clear about the consequences of this measure on production, given that the timeframe envisaged for the move is so short.”

The MEP said the Commissioner has an ideal opportunity to explain his thinking while in Ireland.

“There is significant concern that these reforms will place Ireland at a disadvantage. We were one of a handful of member states to fully decouple payments from production in the previous round of reforms.

“Member states differ in how they apply payments. Any sudden change to the regime within a country could have dire consequences for farm output,” she warned.

At a meeting with the Commission today in Strasbourg McGuinness explained to him the importance of the agri-food sector in Ireland’s economic recovery.

“Direct payments under the CAP underpin our agri-food sector. Farm incomes rely heavily on these payments and it is important that proposed changes to the regime are measured and thoroughly analysed for their implications.”

The MEP added that the details of the reform proposals for direct payments, market measures and rural development were only beginning to trickle down to farm level.

“It is vital that these details are debated fully.

“There are already concerns about the implications of using 2014 as a base year for establishing new entitlements, about how the new entitlement regime will work and in particular about the implications of the new “greening” proposals.

“These proposals which require that farmers comply with three specific measures as appropriate appear to address the concerns of auditors and not the needs of the farm sector or the requirements of the environment.

“A one-size-fits-all approach will not work and what is needed is a list of measures which member states can choose from and which are applicable in different member states,” she said.

McGuinness also said that there is a need for greater resource efficiency and management on farms in the EU, but limiting the measures to just three is too restrictive and many question whether they will make any positive contribution to the environmental and climate change demands.

“Farmers need certainty in the years ahead. The Commissioner must help with that certainty by securing the CAP budget, making the reforms practical and workable at farm level and tackling the market inequalities which exist and which prevent farmers from getting a fair price from the marketplace.

Given the focus on dairy expansion in Ireland, the Commissioner should also outline his plans for a soft landing for the dairy sector.

“We need to see some flexibility from the Commission on this issue to allow our young and committed farmers expand their dairy herds in the run up to quota abolition in 2015,” she concluded.