Sinn Féin MEPs support simplifying CAP at home but vote against it in Europe
The European Parliament has voted to increase CAP payment supports for young and small farmers, a Fine Gael MEP has said.
Maria Walsh MEP is a full member of the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee and has welcomed these changes which she believes will benefit Irish farmers.
Several Irish MEPs, including MEPs Luke Ming Flanagan, Kathleen Funchion and Lynn Boylan, voted against the changes in Strasbourg this week.
Changes to CAP payments will come into effect from the beginning of next year. The European Parliament this week voted to amend two of three main CAP regulations, with the aim of simplifying the implementation of the CAP, reducing administrative burdens and improving resilience against crises.
Maria Walsh MEP said:
“What happened in the European Parliament this week aims to put more money directly into the pockets of young Irish farmers. As a member of the Agriculture Committee, I have been working on simplifying the CAP for months, and this week’s vote means that farmers should soon feel the benefit of this work.
“The Parliament voted to introduce a number of changes to the CAP. Most important is the €5,000 payment for small farmers – up from its current level of €1,250. Along with this, MEPs voted to introduce a new small farm business development grant worth €75,000 which would greatly benefit young farmers.
“The new business development grant will be a game changer for farmers entering the agricultural sector. €75,000 at the beginning of your farming career could be the difference between entering the workforce or leaving the land behind.
“Sadly, Sinn Féin MEPs voted against these changes. Sinn Féin voted against increasing payments for small farmers. Sinn Féin voted against a new grant for young farmers. Last May, at home, Sinn Féin’s Spokesperson on Agriculture called for a simplified CAP. This week, they have voted against simplification in Europe. Classic Sinn Féin hypocrisy.
“Additional changes passed by the Parliament include increased flexibility in meeting environmental standards, such as GAECs, and capping the number of on-the-spot controls on farmers per year. All of these changes have been made with the aim of making farmers’ lives easier and encouraging more young people to join the agricultural sector.
“The proposal for CAP simplification will now be negotiated by the three main EU institutions – the European Commission, the Council of the EU, and the Parliament. I hope that the outcome of the negotiations reflects what has been achieved this week in the Parliament and, crucially, reflects the needs of the millions of farmers across the European Union.”
MEPs voted to support the file on CAP simplification, which calls for the following changes:
- Increasing the lump-sum payment for small farmers to €5,000;
- Increasing the amount of aid for small farm business development to €75,000;
- Lowering the threshold for the amount of losses required for certain crises payments;
- Epizootic outbreaks to be added to the list of eligible causes for crisis payments under rural development;
- The length of time the Commission has to deal with requests by Member States for strategic amendments to their national plans to be shortened.