Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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52. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the proposals he has put forward at EU level in relation to the need to protect the CAP budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41644/17]

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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The future of the CAP is an issue of enormous importance for the European and indeed Ireland’s agri-food sector.  The CAP has demonstrated its capacity to evolve very effectively in response to changing market, consumer and environmental demands in recent years, to the point where it now plays a central role in delivering the smart, sustainable and inclusive growth sought under the Europe 2020 strategy.

The shape and funding of the future CAP is inextricably linked with the Multi Annual Financial Framework (MFF) post 2020.  The Commission was expected to come forward with proposals for the new MFF for the period 2021-2027 by 1st January 2018, however, due to Brexit and other pressures this is not likely to happen now until mid 2018.  While formal discussions on the MFF have not yet commenced, I support the retention of a strong and well funded CAP and my position on this matter has been articulated at official and political level and is well understood in by Commissioner Hogan, my counterparts in other Member States and in the Commission.

That said, the CAP budget post 2020 will face budgetary challenges, arising not only from the UK decision to leave the EU, but also from the need to address other EU policy challenges, such as security, migration and growth.  In this regard it will be important for the case to be made to Member States and European taxpayers for a strong CAP budget to be based on strong public good arguments. 

This is already evident in the fact that the CAP provides vital support for the rural economy and society for a range of environmental benefits and for an EU farming model that support the production of high quality, safe food on family farms.  It will however be important to ensure that we maximise the public good, for example, by supporting environmental measures, or those encouraging generational change in farming, or those that can help to improve farm efficiency through investment and innovation.

I will be working hard with my European counterparts to ensure that the CAP budget post 2020 provides a solid and effective foundation for the development of the sector into the future, when discussions do commence. In addition officials in my Department are also working closely with the Department of Finance on the next MFF.