Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Provisional agreement on the CAP reform package has been reached by the Presidency and the Parliament. The full details of the agreement will be presented at the Council of Ministers on 28 and 29 June, where it is hoped that final overall agreement will be reached.

As far as capping of payments is concerned, I will of course have to apply limits that are in keeping with the parameters set out in the regulations. Nevertheless, I intend to consider the flexibilities that have been provided and to consult with stakeholders in this regard over the coming months.

I will continue to work to achieve the best possible outcome for Irish farmers.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Last October, the Agri-fish Council of Ministers agreed the general approach on the CAP Reform Package. In the Council General Approach, I negotiated for the subsidiarity for Member States to apply capping of payments.

Some of the basic principles around these figures were agreed in the Multi-annual Financial Framework 2021-2027 earlier last year, and transferred across. However, the proposals agreed at Council would see this capping extended further in a degressive manner. These flexibilities would allow Member States to implement capping on a degressive basis starting from €60,000 and rising to 100% capping above €100,000 of the new BISS payment.

In all these negotiations, I have continuously fought for Ireland to have the maximum flexibility to implement the new CAP regulations, including flexibility on the issue of capping of BISS payments to ensure the best outcome for Irish farmers. The political agreement reached yesterday provides for voluntary capping at €100,000, and further degressivity, or reduction of payments for payments over €60,000 whichI have continually supported as a way of bringing fairness and equality to the CAP. These options will be considered along with the other elements of the agreement in the course of consultations that will take place with stakeholders over the coming weeks and months.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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I have, with my officials, engaged extensively with the key stakeholders on the future of the CAP and the development of the CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) 2023-2027. This engagement will continue, in particular through the Stakeholder Consultative Committee, which has been a constructive and crucial body in shaping the current CAP, which comprises representatives of the main farm bodies, NGOs, industry, and academia, as well as the relevant Government departments and agencies. The Oireachtas has also received regular updates on the CAP negotiations at official and Ministerial level.

The development of the CSP involves a number of stages, including SWOT analysis, needs assessment, intervention design, financial allocations, target setting (including monitoring) and governance systems. The draft CSP will also be subject to an ex-ante evaluation, Strategic Environmental Assessment and Appropriate Assessment.

The Department will be conducting a statutory and public consultation on the draft CSP and the draft Environmental Report later this year. It is also my intention to write to the Chair of the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture and the Marine to formally seek its views.

I will take the outcome of the consultation process and the views of the Oireachtas Committee into consideration before seeking the approval of Government and submitting Ireland's CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027 to the Commission by the deadline of 1st January 2022.