Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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121. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine for an update on negotiations taking place at EU level on the Common Agricultural Policy 2027+. [25604/25]

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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The CAP is a key instrument in supporting farmers and rural communities, whether it is food production, protecting the environment, biodiversity, rural development and so much more. There is concern that the CAP will be seen as part of a wider EU budget instead of being ring-fenced, as it appears it is at present. In the context of negotiations that are taking place at EU level, will the Minister give an outline of where things stand on the CAP?

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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I am delighted to have the opportunity to do so. The CAP is absolutely critical. I wish the Deputy well in his role as chairperson of the joint Oireachtas committee on agriculture. I look forward to working with him and his colleagues in the term ahead.

As Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, I am working closely with EU institutions and my counterparts in other member states to influence negotiations on the next CAP. The CAP is central to the EU’s success in ensuring food security, supporting farm incomes and developing rural areas. The CAP also remains critical to the agrifood sector’s resilience and competitiveness, as it has since Ireland joined the EU more than 50 years ago. I recently set out my four key priorities for the CAP: a CAP that is more straightforward for farmers; a more flexible and responsive CAP; one which has an appropriate balance between all elements of sustainability; and an adequate and dedicated budget that is needed for an effective CAP. I am determined that the CAP will continue to play a positive role in supporting Irish farmers, the food industry, rural communities and the wider economy into the future.

It is a key responsibility of Government to raise Ireland's concerns with our EU partners and to influence EU policy. For my part as Minister, I meet with my counterparts in the Council of the European Union every month to discuss and shape agriculture and food policy in the EU. I have and will continue to engage with Christophe Hansen, the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, and my fellow EU Ministers on the issues affecting the agrifood sector, including the CAP post 2027, at Council meetings as well as in bilateral discussions. I have my next meeting of the AGRIFISH Council next Monday in Brussels. I will prioritise these engagements at European level, particularly in preparation for Ireland’s Presidency of the EU in the second half of 2026.

Funding for the CAP forms part of the broader EU budget, known as the multi-annual financial framework, MFF, which is ultimately agreed by the heads of government and at European Council level. That will obviously hugely shape what comes next in terms of the CAP. We are bringing along the CAP proposals. The Commissioner is proposing to publish them around the same time in July in order that they can all be discussed and debated together.

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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The AGRIFISH Council is due to meet next Monday, as the Minister mentioned. Will he confirm whether discussions on the CAP will be on the Council's agenda and what issues will be covered? The Minister said he had been in contact with Commissioner Hansen, who is responsible for agriculture and food. Commissioner Hansen recently published his vision for agriculture and food, which recognises the essential role of farmers in seeking to boost the agrifood sector's competitiveness and attractiveness. Does the Minister foresee this vision impacting on the development of the new CAP?

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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In my engagement with Commissioner Hansen to date, I feel he is someone who gets it, both from his visit to Ireland in January and in his vision for agriculture in the different points he has outlined. He feels like somebody who understands the importance of the CAP for our farmers and food production system. The reason I clearly outlined my core priorities and those of Ireland regarding the CAP is to get them established early.

To have them established earlier, I brought a memo to the Cabinet and got approval from my Government colleagues for the approach I want to take. In the second half of 2026, when the finer details of the CAP will be in the melting pot, we will have the Presidency of the EU. At that stage, I could be chairing the EU agriculture Council. Already, agriculture ministers from the other 26 member states are looking for bilateral meetings to engage with me and tell me what their priorities are. I want to clearly articulate to them and Commissioner Hansen what our priorities are for protecting the Pillar 1 and Pillar 2 payments and the separate fund for agriculture that is so important to our sector.

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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The programme for Government commits to simplifying the schemes and access for farmers. It also commits to reducing the administrative burden and red tape farmers encounter through flexibility in the design of the scheme and also stakeholder input. Commissioner Hansen has announced a draft CAP simplification and also some proposals to change the legal framework. I welcome the announcement. The Department engaged with the Commissioner on efforts to reduce the overall burden on farmers. Given that the Department had direct contact and involvement with Commissioner Hansen on the draft package, can the Minister confirm the package will meet the commitments in the programme for Government to have a more simplified and straightforward system for farmers?

Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I recently had a meeting with IFA officials, as I stated previously. A line I used before is that the organisation is very good at keeping the Minister’s feet to the fire in relation to issues. The officials had recently been at a meeting in Brussels and obviously spoke about their fear of cuts to CAP under Pillar 2. They spoke about the whole conversation as regards ReArm Europe, etc. Obviously, the argument needs to be made.

Another point that was made – the officials were very decent in that they provided me with minutes of the meeting – concerns the idea that in the approximately two-year timeframe for the new CAP, the Government needs to make sure every step is taken to ensure simplification of application. It needs to be possible to apply for all schemes at one time. We need to have clear rules and regulations and ensure the system is streamlined. We have dealt with this before. There are a number of issues with farmers constantly having to provide the same information for different schemes, sometimes to the same Department. It has to be possible to streamline all of this while making sure all the necessary negotiations are engaged in with regard to protecting the CAP.

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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There are two parts to this. The multi-annual financial framework, or the overall budget for Europe, will determine so much of the second part around the CAP. That is why the Heads of State and Government, including the Taoiseach, will have a key role to play in terms of engagement at this level and at the European Council. The Government has been very fair in articulating its priorities around protecting the CAP structure and the very positive roles played by Pillars 1 and 2. I have highlighted my concerns about rumours circulating that there will somehow be a central pot that member states will pull out of, and also about the impact of this on the Single Market and cohesion.

While the first part is the overall budget, the second involves ensuring a focus on delivering a simplified CAP. The points on simplification are to come this year. Some are administrative and will make a change, but the overall simplification will be in the design of the new CAP. There will be an element of national discretion whereby we this House and the key stakeholders will discuss how I can design a CAP that best suits our agricultural system. First and foremost, it is about protecting the budget and having it ring-fenced to deliver what we need it to do.