Big Battle Ahead on EU Funding for Farming

Speaking from Brussels, IFA President Francie Gorman said what’s emerging about how farming will be funded from 2027 is very concerning.

“While we will have to examine the specifics in more detail, it is clear that the EU Commission is downgrading the importance of the CAP and food production to allow for greater spending elsewhere,” he said.

“The CAP is being turned into an environmental and social policy. Support for farmers who are producing the most food is being consistently reduced. The Commission seem more interested in finding ways to cut payments to individual farmers rather than support them,” he said.

As it stands, the CAP provides an annual injection of nearly €2bn into our rural economy to support food production.

“At a time when Ireland is a net contributor to the overall EU budget, this level of investment in every parish takes on even more significance. CAP has been the cornerstone of the multi-billion export sector that underpins thousands of jobs in regions far from the urban centres,” he said.

The EU Commission also needs to be honest with consumers. Cutting CAP funding will reduce food production and lead to food price inflation,” he said. 

Francie Gorman said there is a big battle ahead to retrieve a coherent policy from what the EU Commission is proposing.  “These proposals will have to be approved by the Member States and the EU Parliament so there is a long journey ahead and we will expect a real fight from our Government and MEPs,” he said. 

“The EU Presidency, which Ireland will assume this time next year for the second half of 2026, takes on added importance. Our Government has to secure the maximum funding for Irish farmers to encourage the next generation to consider farming as a career. From the Taoiseach down, this has to be front and centre of every discussion across those six months,” he said.

The IFA President said the European Parliament will also have a critical role to play in the ultimate ratification of the overall budget and the CAP.

“We will be looking to our Irish MEPs to build alliances with colleagues to ensure that direct supports for farm families are not diminished. There’s a huge amount at stake over the next 12 months and it will take a huge effort from everybody to secure an outcome that points to a positive future for our largest indigenous sector,” he concluded.

See the IFA CAP Hub here, for more analysis and details.