merrion street

The Minister for Agriculture, Food   and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D., today called for a strong green ambition to be maintained in the ongoing negotiations on the CAP Post 2020.

Attending his first Agri Fish Council Minister McConalogue said,

This is the key issue facing us. In the new CAP we need to ensure better environmental and climate outcomes.

In the course of a discussion on the proposed Green Architecture of the Post 2020 CAP Minister McConalogue called for measures to be put in place to ensure that Member States would not lose out on CAP funding if there was lower than planned take up of ECO schemes by farmers in the initial years of the CAP.

I have to be crystal clear on this point.

declared Minister McConalogue,

I cannot accept anything that would expose Ireland in this way.

With regard to Direct Payments and the option to cap payments that individual farmers would receive, Minister McConalogue stated,

The original proposals would have allowed Member States to reduce payments to €60,000.  I strongly supported that option for Member States and I would like to see that flexibility retained, as far as possible. 

The AgriFish Council also discussed a number of other items including the situation regarding trade and the markets, African Swine Fever, and proposals on nutrition labeling. 

Minister McConalogue also held useful discussions with Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski to discuss the future CAP and the proposed Transitional Regulation.