Cap Budget Must Be Maintained in Eu Budget Proposals – IFA
IFA President, John Bryan, has stated that it is hugely important that the CAP budget post-2013 is fully funded, index-linked and must have additional resources to cater for any further enlargement of the EU. He was speaking in advance of today’s release of the EU Commission proposals on the future EU budget 2014-2020.
He said, “The CAP delivers real value for money, supporting over 40 million jobs, and ensuring economic activity and growth in all regions of the EU.”
He continued, “The funding that Ireland receives through the CAP is of vital importance in underpinning agricultural production, supporting farm incomes and driving growth in the agri-food sector and wider rural economy.”
The €1.6bn allocation for Ireland under the CAP is redistributed across the economy, through expenditure by farmers on locally provided inputs, labour, goods and services.
The CAP also supports the provision by farmers of non-market public goods, including environmental protection, landscape management, high quality food and animal health and welfare standards
. Rural Development funding provides support for agri-environment measures, Disadvantaged Areas, and on-farm modernisation and investment.
Mr Bryan concluded, “In the negotiations on the CAP that will follow, the Minister for Agriculture must fight to secure Ireland’s full National Envelope of funding, which is made up of €1.3bn under the Single Farm Payment and over €300m annually in Rural Development funding
