European Court of Auditors’ Reiteration of CAP Concerns – IFA

Following publication of a report yesterday from the European Court of Auditors on the European Commission’s proposals for the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), IFA President Francie Gorman said we share many of the observations in the Auditors’ report. We have highlighted them in our interactions on CAP, both at national and European level.

“Undoubtedly, there is far more risk than opportunity with the Commission proposals; more complexity; and more financial uncertainty which won’t benefit genuine active farmers – either existing or the next generation.”

“The fact that we have had two series of Commission amendments even before the trilogue negotiations begin shows just how offside the proposals were,” he said.

“Even now, with these amendments, we don’t really know where we stand, nor in fact do the European institutions know how to actually action them. And we won’t until we get the associated legal text. They may offer some potential, and it is something Commissioner Hansen continually throws out as a ‘win’, but with the ‘rural’ component included in the mix, it’s questionable whether farmers will actually benefit from them at all, at least not fully as suggested. For that to truly occur, these funds need to be ring-fenced for farmers, and mandatory for Member States to adopt,” he said.

“IFA opposes the new structure of the Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF) proposed by the Commission and seeks the restoration of the two-pillar CAP and a fully-funded dedicated and ring-fenced CAP budget. We back proposals, too, to move relevant Articles from the National & Regional Partnership Plan to CAP regulation for greater coherence and simplification.”

“However, priority in the short-term has to be on securing an adequate ringfenced CAP budget, otherwise increased national Exchequer receipts will need to be relied upon.”

“The proposal to cut the dedicated CAP budget by over 20% will create even more financial pressure on some of our most vulnerable farmers. It’s going to mean even lower farm incomes which in turn will have environmental, social and economic consequences in terms of economic activity and jobs supported throughout rural Ireland.”  

Francie Gorman said the next CAP needs to put at its core the farmer who consistently produces the highest quality food. 

“With more stakeholders competing for limited available resources as EU priorities shift, the design and reaching agreement on National Plans is going to prove difficult. We need to have transitional arrangements in place, even if we never actually use them, to preserve existing farm schemes and payments where required. Farmers need this security such is the importance of CAP payments to on-farm sustainability.” 

“There is a big battle ahead to retrieve a coherent policy. We will expect a real fight from our Government and MEPs, and the EU Presidency, which Ireland will assume in the second half of 2026, takes on added importance. Our Government has to secure the maximum funding for Irish farmers and tangible supports 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.

“We got strong assurances from Minister Heydon at our recent AGM that increasing the CAP budget for farmers is amongst his key priorities. He also re-iterated that he was against proposals to exclude those in receipt of a pension from key CAP supports, and that obligations under the Nature Restoration Law (NRL) must not be funded through CAP, directly or indirectly, and that any funding for the NRL must be ‘new’ money,” he said.