IRELAND’S LARGEST farm organisation has criticised proposals in a leaked document from the European Commission that farm payments should be based on farm size under the reformed common agricultural policy.
The existing single farm payment system is complex and takes into account production on farms in a three-year period dating from the early 2000s and all other payments due to farmers in 2005.
Irish Farmers’ Association president John Bryan said the proposals in the commission’s leaked document must be rejected by Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney. He argued it would inflict massive economic damage on farming, the food sector, jobs and ultimately economic recovery.
He described the EU proposal that “all payment entitlements in a member state or a region would have a uniform value by 2019” as a flat-earth policy that would wreak havoc.
Mr Bryan said the proposals should be replaced with a flexible payment system that reflected Irish production patterns and supports producers and growth.
“Any proposal to distribute the single farm payment on a uniform per hectare basis within a region is totally unacceptable, as it takes no account of differences in the productive capacity of farmers or land within member states or regions.”
He said it would have an extremely disruptive effect on farms and would result in many farmers reducing output. This would have a negative impact in the agri-food sector, the rural economy in particular and on export earnings.
“Agriculture is growing and has the potential to contribute significantly to Ireland’s economic recovery,” he said.
Mr Bryan said farmers already complied with high standards that delivered a significant benefit to the environment.