Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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Question 521: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will ensure that Ireland secures adequate EU funding for rural development programmes in the negotiations for the common agricultural policy post-2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4898/12]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The overall amount of funding for the CAP will be decided in the context of the EU Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF) for the EU budget from 2014 to 2020. My overarching objective in the negotiations is to secure a strong and well-resourced CAP in order to meet food security needs and to preserve family farming in Europe. This is a whole of Government position.

The MFF proposals, published by the Commission in June 2011, maintain CAP expenditure at 2013 levels in nominal terms. From an Irish viewpoint, this represents a reasonable starting point for the CAP negotiations, particularly as there was significant pressure from some Member States to cut CAP spending. However, pressures for further cuts to the CAP budget remain, and it is important that these continue to be resisted.

One of my key priorities in the CAP reform negotiations is to retain Ireland's funding both for direct payments and for rural development in any redistribution of CAP funds between Member States. The proposal is to use a pragmatic basis to redistribute pillar 1 (Direct Income Supports) between Member States and I welcome this. A specific proposal on pillar 2 (Rural Development) funding has not yet emerged. However it is proposed that the distribution between Member States shall be based on objective criteria and past performance, with the allocations to be decided by the Commission annually under the Implementing Acts procedure. Depending on the objective criteria chosen, Ireland could lose substantially under this proposal. I believe that redistribution of funds between Member States should involve pillar 1 and pillar 2 together and should be done on the pragmatic basis envisaged for pillar 1. The net point for Ireland is that we receive below average payments per hectare for pillar 1 and 2 combined and I would see no justification for a reduction in payments.

I have already conveyed Ireland's views on this to the EU commission and other Member States and I will continue to press this point as negotiations continue.