IFA President Warns About Greening Measures Restricting Food Harvest Targets

Speaking at a meeting of COPA in Brussels, IFA President John Bryan said compulsory greening measures as part of CAP post-2013 must not add further environmental restrictions over and above those already in place. He said “it is simplification of the regulations that farmers require, and any compulsory greening measures as part of Pillar 1 must not add additional bureaucracy or compliance costs.”

John Bryan said, “In the context of the Food Harvest 2020 growth plans for the country, it would be critically important that these new greening measures do not restrict the potential of Irish farmers to sustainably grow food production.”

He said, “It is important that the CAP continues to underpin food production in Europe. Globally, climate change, combined with limited land and water resources, are going to put severe constraints on production while demand for food continues to rise and the volatility of supplies and prices is on the increase.”

Mr Bryan said the priority now must not be simply to continue further ‘greening’ of the CAP in the old way. The aim now must be ‘green growth’, which will maintain production capacity and growth, as well as having a positive impact on the environment.

The IFA President will also be attending the G20 session in Paris at the invitation of the French farm organisation FNSEA, where for the first time agriculture is on the agenda. The G20 summit will be chaired by the French President Nicolas Sarkozy. It will discuss price volatility, climate change and sustainable growth.

John Bryan said he hopes to highlight the serious impact that trade deals can have on food security and the ability of European farmers to compete on a level playing field.