Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Under the draft CAP 2021-2027 proposals, each member state is required to submit a CAP strategic plan by 1 January 2020. The new delivery model proposed by the European Commission is performance-based. All schemes under Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 are to be delivered under a single plan. In recognition of the climate change challenges facing the EU and its international commitments in regard to climate action, the new CAP proposals outline a greater environmental ambition post 2020.

The development of the draft CAP strategic plan will be a complex process involving a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats analysis, a needs assessment, scheme design, an ex ante evaluation including a strategic environmental assessment and an appropriate assessment. My Department is currently tendering for theex ante evaluation of the draft plan, which is an integral part of the process.

Another key element is stakeholder and public consultation. My Department has concluded a series of external stakeholder events and sought public submissions on the draft CAP regulations in January 2018. I hosted a series of public meetings in February 2018 and a national consultative conference was held on 4 July with all key stakeholders following the publication of the Commission’s legislative proposals. The Department also held a series of meetings with key stakeholders.

The next stage of formal consultation is under consideration and its timing will be related to the progress of discussions on the proposals. This consultation may involve requests for written submissions, stakeholder forums and meetings with individual stakeholders. We expect to hold formal public consultation at several stages of the process.

In the meantime, the Department will continue to engage with relevant stakeholders and interest groups through existing forums and structures to update them on the progress of discussions and to hear their views. Most recently, on 22 January my officials updated Oireachtas colleagues at a joint meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committees on Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Rural and Community Development.

My Department will continue to work towards meeting the 1 January 2020 deadline in tandem with continuing discussions between member states and the European institutions regarding the funding of the next CAP and the detail of the current draft CAP regulations, including in regard to the CAP strategic plan.

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