Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Deputy Flaherty touched on a number of issues which we have touched on before and outlined the position from his county’s perspective. He touched on a number of issues such as convergence, for example, and the importance of a well-funded CAP overall and ensuring the impact on farmers and their financial sustainability is central to how we frame the next CAP. I take on board the points he made.

Something that I have said throughout this debate is the importance of involving farmers in how we put together our national CAP plan. Whether it be Longford or Donegal, Kerry or Meath, farmers throughout the country of all sizes from all sectors should be consulted and engaged with on the various decisions that are still to be made. It is important those decisions are made at national level and that we have significant control over them, because decisions that are important to farm family incomes, farm families should be central to that. While that will be a challenging consultation, debate and engagement, it is important that is happens. It is important for the legitimacy of the CAP and the buy-in of farmers and farm families. It is important for the acceptance of whatever Common Agricultural Policy emerges towards the end of this year. As a member state, we will obliged to submit the various measures and decisions contained in the national CAP plan to the European Commission for approval by the end of this year. The objective is to develop the schemes next year and to have them ready to go and to benefit farm families and the agriculture sector from January 2023.

I thank Deputy Flaherty for his contribution today and for his ongoing engagement with me on a number of agricultural issues on behalf of his farming constituents.

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