Robert O'Donoghue (Dublin Fingal West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the IFA president, Mr. Gorman, to the House. The Labour Party's mission, echoing the Tom Johnson minority report from the 1924 Agricultural Commission, is to achieve greater food security by ensuring that everybody has access to healthy, nutritious and sustainable food at an affordable price while also safeguarding our natural environment. Labour is committed to supporting farmers in diversifying and adopting sustainable practices. We also support the sustainable development of farming, fisheries and forestry to protect existing jobs and generate new opportunities across all regions of Ireland. We back CAP reforms and agricultural policies that uphold the family farm and provide meaningful support to small farmers.

I wish to raise with the Minister the deep concerns of Ireland's farming community regarding some of the proposed CAP reforms. The suggestion to merge Pillars I and 2 into a single fund has been met with significant apprehension across the farming sector. The current two-pillar structure in CAP serves a distinct purpose. Pillar 1 provides direct payments to support farmers' incomes while Pillar 2 focuses on rural development and environmental initiatives. Merging these two pillars risks diluting the targeted supports that each provides, potentially undermining the effectiveness of both income support and environmental measures. Farmers are already facing challenges due to increased environmental requirements and the introduction of eco schemes which, while well intentioned, have led to reductions in direct payments and added complexity. The proposed merger could exacerbate these issues, leading to further income instability and uncertainty around future support mechanisms. Moreover, the lack of clarity surrounding the implementation and funding of these reforms adds to the anxiety within the farming community. Farmers need assurances that their livelihoods will not be compromised and that the essential support that they rely on remains robust and accessible.

In light of these concerns, I urge the Minister to maintain the distinct two pillar structure within CAP to ensure targeted and effective supports for both income stability and rural development remain. I also urge him to provide clear and detailed information on how any proposed reforms will be implemented, including funding allocations and eligibility criteria. He should also engage directly with farming representatives to understand their concerns and incorporate their feedback into the reform process. He should ensure that any environmental measures introduced are accompanied by adequate support and do not disproportionately burden farmers financially. I urge him to advocate strongly for a more ambitious and flexible CAP post 2027, one that fully reflects Ireland's unique needs and evolving priorities. In particular, I ask him to support the potential establishment of a third pillar within CAP, distinct from the existing structures, to recognise and reward farmers who voluntarily engage in sustainable initiatives beyond the regulatory requirements. Furthermore, I ask him to seek greater national flexibility within the next CAP framework, enabling Ireland to design and implement agri-environmental measures tailored to our specific conditions, including the integration of emerging funding streams outside of the CAP.

Finally, the Labour Party emphasises the critical importance of generational renewal in Irish agriculture. The next CAP must include strengthened and targeted supports for young farmers. As I have said here previously, in my area of Fingal west, the horticultural heartland of the country, I can only think of two farmers who are under the age of 30. We must ensure that young farmers can access the tools, land and capital they need to build a viable future in farming. I ask the Minister to outline how these priorities will be reflected in Ireland's position as the CAP reform discussions progress.

I also wish to highlight the urgent need for a single, unified farmland mapping system to be used consistently across both CAP Pillars 1 and 2. The current duplication of the systems is causing unnecessary delays, creating administrative burdens and leading to confusion for farmers and administrators alike. Farm families are the backbone of rural Ireland. They are not just economic units but living traditions passed on from one generation to the next. They preserve our landscapes, communities and way of life but today this model is under threat from rising costs, market pressures and climate challenges. I am also calling for an end to redundant inspections. If a farmer has been inspected and found to be compliant, there should be no need for a further inspection unless there has been a material change in his or her circumstances.

In addition, I stress the importance of eliminating double penalties. Farmers should not face CAP funding cuts if they have already been penalised by another State agency for the same issue. This involves clarifying the roles and responsibilities of the various agencies to ensure CAP inspections do not overlap with the work of bodies such as the National Parks and Wildlife Service. We need to reform the young farmer payments to make it more attractive and feasible for new entrants to take up farming also and to ensure consistency and predictable communication so farmers clearly understand their requirements and expectations. A principle of no retroactive rule changes should be enforced. Once a scheme is in place, farmers should not face new rules introduced part way through their implementation these changes are not only about reducing bureaucracy but about respecting the time, effort and investment our farmers make every day. I urge the Minister to take these recommendations forward.

In my area of north County Dublin, the horticultural sector is a vital component of both the local and national economy. Often referred to as the market garden of Ireland, Fingal boasts some of the most fertile land in the country. This makes it ideal for the production of high-value crops, including vegetables, salads and soft fruits. I have picked and packed every one of them over my lifetime. The region supports a mixture of traditional farming families and modern high-end agribusinesses and plays a significant role in supplying fresh produce to the Dublin market and beyond. With its proximity to Dublin Airport and key transport routes Fingal is well-positioned for both domestic distribution and export, thereby further enhancing the importance of the agrifood sector.

We must act now to ensure the sector’s long-term viability. This means fair prices, strong supports and policies that value sustainability and tradition hand in hand. Supporting family farms is not just about food production, but about protecting the vital part of who we are as a nation. We need to make food security a national priority. We need a commitment to developing a new food strategy that ensures every person in the country can access a healthy, nutritious and affordable diet. We should support initiatives such as farmers’ market incentive programmes, investing in local food networks and market infrastructure. This will give producers more opportunity to sell their high-end produce to local communities while reducing reliance on imports and strengthening our food resilience.

We need to recognise the growing importance of horticultural and plant-based farming. This will become a stronger focus on the areas as part of strategy for a more sustainable and secure food system. Furthermore, we need to support the growth of our domestic horticulture and tillage sector with a renewed emphasis on grains and pulses. Exploring a tillage incentive scheme to reverse the decline in serial crops and their production alongside a further horticultural incentive would ensure the vital sector has the supports it needs to continue to thrive. We need to build a food system that is secure, sustainable and fair for producers, communities and future generations. Our farmers play a crucial role in rural Ireland in our food production and in environmental stewardship. It is imperative we support them through policies that recognise their contributions and provide the stability they need to continue their vital work.

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