MEP Walsh tables over 30 proposals to strengthen CAP certainty and income stability for Irish farmers
The next Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) budget must be increased and adjusted to inflation, and further simplified, according to MEP Maria Walsh.
As a full member of the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee, MEP Walsh has submitted over 30 amendments to the Committee’s report on “The future of agriculture and the post-2027 common agricultural policy”.
MEP Walsh’s proposals call for a fully inflation-adjusted CAP budget, targeted aid payments, and tailored co-financing for rural development measures. She also stressed the importance of safeguarding the strategic importance of the farming sector in the EU and called for practical tools to support further CAP simplification.
MEP Maria Walsh said:
“This week, I submitted over 30 amendments that aim to deliver long-term income stability and business certainty for Irish farmers. The CAP budget has failed to keep pace with economic growth, with inflation ravaging the incomes of farmers over the past few years. If we are serious about ensuring food security across Ireland and the EU, we must ensure the CAP budget is increased and adjusted for inflation – as reflected in my proposals.
“Family farms remain the backbone of rural Ireland. They are not just economic drivers; they are food producers and custodians of the land. I’ve proposed targeted CAP aid payments to support these farms, which are often the most vulnerable to market volatility and policy shifts.
“Every day that I speak with farmers, I hear of their frustrations regarding ever-changing rules and red tape. Moving the goalposts costs farmers time and money, and requires national Governments to adapt to new systems which can often lead to delays in payments. One of my key proposals stresses the need for stable and consistent policies that allow farmers to plan, invest, and grow with confidence.
“I have also placed CAP simplification at the top of the agenda. A key amendment calls on the Commission to provide tools that help Member States implement the CAP more easily and to share best practices in order to avoid distortions and divergent approaches that could potentially disadvantage farmers.
“Ultimately, the CAP must be fair. To ensure a level playing field amongst farmers across the EU, I submitted a proposal emphasising the need to preserve the commonality of the CAP. Diverging national approaches risk undermining the fairness and unity at the heart of European agricultural policy.
“I hope to receive the support of my colleagues on the Agriculture Committee, in particular my fellow Irish MEPs, so that farmers across the EU are supported when and where they need it most.”
