IFA President Addresses 71st Annual General Meeting
Addressing the 71st IFA AGM in the Irish Farm Centre today, IFA President Francie Gorman said three issues will dominate IFA’s work agenda for 2026: opposition to the Mercosur trade deal; the budget for the next CAP; and the cost of doing business.
“Our campaign will now focus on the vote in the European Parliament. We have resisted this deal for over 20 years and in that time, the standards in Brazil have not improved. The recent recall of Brazilian beef in this country shows that food safety is under threat if this deal is allowed to go through,” he said.
The IFA President said the EU Commission cannot stand over this deal and it is now up to the MEPs to reject it.
On CAP, Francie Gorman said the Government has to work on a larger budget following the proposal from the EU Commission to reduce what will be allocated to CAP.
“The Irish Presidency in the second half of 2026 will be crucial in this regard. As net contributors, our Government has to insist on delivering a greater level of funding to CAP through the MFF.”
“The CAP itself has to be directed at those farmers who are farming the land sustainably and producing food; tending to livestock; and harvesting the crops. And that applies irrespective of what age they are, or where they are from.”
The IFA President also raised the cost of doing business and make specific reference to the level of carbon tax and excise that applies to fuel. “This is a key input that farmers cannot function without. It has to be resolved.”
The Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon will address the AGM this afternoon and the Taoiseach Micheál Martin will attend this evening.
Read the address in full here