IFA President Tim Cullinan said the recommendations issued by the European Commission today in relation to National Strategic Plans under the CAP are a shot in the dark as they not backed up by an impact assessment.
“These recommendations will lead to reduced output, reduced productivity and increased costs. Yet neither the EU nor the Government has done any kind of an impact assessment,” he said.
“The Government must immediately instruct Teagasc to carry out a full analysis before any of these recommendations are progressed,” he said.
“We also need clarity as to what input the Minister and his Department gave into these recommendations,” he said.
“Ultimately the Department of Agriculture will have until the end of December 2021 to submit their plan to the Commission. They must understand the full implications before these recommendations are progressed and they must have meaningful engagement with farmers,” he said.
