New EU Commission Must Back Agriculture

Speaking as the new EU Commission took up office, IFA President Joe Healy said this Commission will preside over some of the most important decisions in the history of the EU.

“Deciding the next EU budget (MFF) and the portion allocated to farming will be a watershed moment for farming in the EU. In the 80s, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) was allocated 55% of the EU budget. The proposed CAP budget this time around is less than 30%. The new Commission must revisit this and ensure farming gets a bigger allocation,” he said.

“Understandably, there is a huge focus on environmental issues as part of new ‘Green Deal’, but farmers must get credit for the measures they have taken to date. If they are willing to do more they must be fairly rewarded for those measures,” he said.

“The Free Trade Agreement to be negotiated with the UK will have far reaching consequences for European and Irish farming,” he said.

“Having an Irish Commissioner as the new EU Trade Commissioner during these negotiations could be important. I want to wish Phil Hogan well in the role,” he said.

“The new EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski has a big challenge ahead of him, with farmer unrest growing all around Europe,” he said.