Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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64. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is concerned about negative environmental impacts from the CAP simplification process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18332/24]

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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A range of farmers and environmental groups have raised serious criticisms about negative environmental impacts and negative impacts for farmers from the so-called CAP simplification which the European Parliament voted for yesterday. They say that it will increase farmers vulnerability to extreme weather events, that it guts environmental standards and that it is a race to the bottom. MEPs, including from Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Sinn Féin, rejected an amendment that sought to cap payments so that 80% of payments to farmers no longer go to just 20% of beneficiaries. Does the Government have any concerns about all of that?

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The proposed amending regulation presented by the Commission is focused on simplification to reduce the burden on farmers and to provide flexibility to member states to address issues affecting farmers arising from climatic conditions or other adverse weather events.

While there are changes to the good agricultural and environmental conditions, GAECs, my Department, like all ministries across Europe, must apply these standards at an appropriate level for our own national situation to protect our natural resources, including soil health, air and water quality, habitats and biodiversity. The changes proposed include moving the requirement to have a minimum share of land devoted to non-productive features, from GAEC 8, into eco schemes. That was one of the proposals approved. Already in Ireland we build on the basic GAEC 8 standard requirement in our eco scheme and we have implemented a more ambitious space for nature requirement than the minimum required. The majority of farmers chose to back this ambition, picking an enhanced space for nature as their eco scheme practice. Over 100,000 farmers chose to go to a full 10% devoted to space for nature on their farms. Other changes proposed include adjustments to GAECs 5, 6, 7 and 9 allowing member states more flexibility in order to address specific problems in the application of those GAEC standards. On GAEC 7 on crop rotation and diversification requirements for the tillage sector, flexibility is required given the weather conditions.

While an exemption for farmers with less than 10 ha from controls and penalties under conditionality is also proposed, it is crucial to understand that all the legal obligations on these farmers would still apply. Any breach of the laws regarding pollution, habitat destruction and hedgerow removal will continue to be prosecuted by the competent authorities. The experts in my Department have carefully considered the proposed changes and I believe the proposal will provide more flexibility for farmers, while still maintaining the objectives of those standards. Irish farmers have demonstrated their commitment to the environment and have committed themselves to a range of environmental actions including through eco schemes and our results-based environmental scheme, ACRES. It is my intention to ensure that Ireland’s CAP strategic plan continues to back farmers and support them to meet their environmental commitments.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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I presume the Minister knows and agrees that we are in a climate and biodiversity crisis and yet the European Commission with the support of the Irish Government and the support of the three big parties in this Dáil has just agreed to delete, weaken or make voluntary several of the GAECs. The Minister listed some of them. They include minimising tillage to prevent soil erosion, ensuring minimal soil cover, crop rotation, areas to enhance biodiversity and protection of permanent grassland Natura 2000. Bird Life Europe has stated:

Today, the European Parliament paved the way for anti-democratic, anti-environmental, and above all, anti-farmers legislation, yielding to a powerful agri-business lobby that serves only a few. Food security, the future of farmers, and citizens were sacrificed for the sake of short-term profits and political calculations.

The Government seems to agree with that.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy does not seem to recognise the great work happening in farms here in Ireland. He should give proper recognition to the real commitment that family farms across this country are demonstrating to the environment and indeed to tackling the biodiversity challenge that we have, not just in this country but also in many other countries as well. In 2022 there was a reduction in emissions from Irish agriculture. I am confident that the figures for 2023 will also show a reduction in emissions. That is a reflection of the work that farmers are undertaking at farm level.

The Deputy may not be aware of this because I have never heard him refer to it. Over the last two years, there has been a 30% reduction in the use of chemical fertilisers. That has been achieved alongside maintaining food production and has contributed to emissions reduction. That is a reflection of the massive work that is happening at family farm level. We have family farms in this country. I regularly hear the Deputy refer to industrial farming. That is not what we have in this country. We have family farms which are which are run with the help of families and which produce food in a sustainable way. Some of the steps being taken at European level in recent years provide the appropriate flexibility to farmers to address the weather challenges we have seen not just here but across Europe over a period of time. The work continues to ensure we are contributing to the climate change challenge.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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I give considerable credit to the work small farmers are doing - people who are struggling and are not supported by the Government. I do not give any credit to the Government, which simply does the bidding of the agribusiness lobby at the expense of the environment and at the expense of small farmers. The Minister likes to hide the reality of farming behind the phrase "family farms". Obviously, the vast majority of farmers in this country struggle and are genuinely small family farms.

Let us consider where CAP money goes. The top eight recipients of CAP in Ireland received over €200,000 each. Is Larry Goodman a family farmer?

Are John and Peter Queally, the owners of Dawn Meats who are receiving €191,000, family farmers? Is that who the Department is representing? Does the Minister agree with the fact that 80% of the money goes to 20% of the farmers? He pretends to represent the interests of ordinary farmers. He does not. He represents the interests of massive farms and big agribusiness. That is who the Department serves, not ordinary family farmers who are failed by what it is doing here. According to organisations representing 50% of farming organisations:

The proposed simplification rules will ultimately only exacerbate discontent in the farming community as they neither support farmers in increasing their resilience nor do they address the real issues that farmers face, which is the lack of fair prices for their products and lack of a decent income.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Deputy Murphy likes to portray that. He peddles the story that somehow Irish agriculture is industrial and not the family farm as we portray it. That is totally false.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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The biggest part of it.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The reality has been-----

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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Most of it is not.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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If the Deputy had been paying any attention to what I have been doing as Minister over the past five years-----

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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I have.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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-----he would have seen I have delivered a CAP programme which has increased by 50% the funding we are giving to farms, and we are directing that particularly at smaller and medium-sized farms. For example, I have introduced front-loading of the payments that farmers get in respect of the first 32 ha. We are reallocating funding specifically to smaller and medium-sized farmers to encourage farmers to stay in farming. The Deputy has probably not picked this up either but I have also reduced the maximum payment that any one farmer can get in CAP payments from what would have been over €150,000 in the outgoing CAP to €66,000 now under this CAP. No farmer at the conclusion of this CAP will be able to get a payment of more than €66,000. This is because we want to back and sustain what we have in this country which is family farming and which the Deputy, in his portrayal, constantly tries to misrepresent and do a total disservice to.