Longford MEP demands CAP guarantees for farmers as budget pressure increases
The Midlands-North West MEP said concrete figures, concrete legal commitments and a concrete explanation of what Irish farmers will receive over the full seven years are needed.
Longford MEP Ciaran Mullooly has called for concrete agricultural funding guarantees in the next EU budget, warning that bringing existing money forward cannot substitute for adequate funding throughout 2028-to-2034.
The Lanesboro native insisted the key word in this debate is ‘concrete’.
"We need concrete figures, concrete legal commitments and a concrete explanation of what Irish farmers will receive over the full seven years.
“These €45 million resources are already within the proposed budget."
Mr Mullooly said making them available earlier may help, and securing them for agriculture could improve the position of farmers.
He added, "But changing when money becomes available does not increase the total amount available.
"It is like a worker getting an advance on next week’s wages. It helps this week, but the worker is entitled to ask what will be left next week. Farmers deserve the same clarity about the later years of the CAP.”
Mr Mullooly said the proposed rural funding target also requires a detailed explanation.
“Funding for rural areas is valuable, but it is not automatically the same as funding for farmers.
“We need to know Ireland’s allocation, what measures qualify, how much will reach agriculture and whether these amounts are genuinely additional to the support already being counted.
"Publish the figures country by country and year by year.
"Show what is protected for farm income, what is available for rural development and what remains for future pressures and crises. The same euro cannot be counted twice,”
Mr Mullooly reiterated his call for a properly funded CAP with a protected two-pillar structure.
“Political letters must become binding commitments, and earlier access to existing funds must not be presented as a lasting increase in the budget.
"The test is whether Irish farmers have adequate, predictable support throughout the seven-year period.
"That is the assurance we need before accepting any deal.”