Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)

The CAP Strategic Plan 2023–2027 aims to improve the economic, social and environmental sustainability of Ireland's agrifood sector. It does this by supporting viable farm incomes and enhancing competitiveness by strengthening the socioeconomic fabric of rural areas and contributing to the achievement of environmental and climate objectives at national and EU levels. The CAP strategic plan, or CSP, includes 28 different schemes or interventions, as they are known. CSP interventions range from income support measures to environmental interventions and include targeted measures to support young farmers and female farmers.

More than 120,000 farmers in Ireland receive CAP supports through a combination of direct payments and targeted rural development supports. A list of all CAP beneficiaries is published each year on my Department’s website, including information on geographical distribution. My Department also publishes an annual performance report, or APR as it is known, each year. The APR for 2023 is available on my Department's website and the APR for 2024 will be published shortly, following approval by the European Commission.

It should be noted that the CAP financial year 2024 ran from 16 October 2023, which was world food day, to 15 October 2024. In the financial year 2024, over €1.9 billion was spent on the CAP strategic plan. This included €1.2 billion in CAP Pillar 1 direct payments, which are fully funded by the EU, and €700 million in co-finance payments under CAP Pillar 2, rural development and environment payments. Payments per beneficiary vary according to farm size, scheme participation and entitlement value for direct payments.

Under the new delivery model for the CAP, there is a monitoring system for performance against each of the CAP objectives. Some 16 of the CSP result indicators relate to environmental objectives. The CSP monitoring committee meets at least once a year to review progress and includes representatives from the European Commission as well as a broad range of Irish stakeholders.

With regard to funding uptake, I confirm that Ireland is ahead of other EU member states in drawing our share of EU funding in the CSP to date.

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