Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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568. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the timeline the CAP Consultative Committee is working to in completing the CAP Strategic Plan; the progress of the Committee to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35823/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The CAP Consultative Committee was established in May 2019, and has met on 19 occasions. It is envisaged that the Committee will continue to meet until Ireland finalises development of its CAP Strategic Plan.

Originally the CAP Strategic Plan was to be submitted to the European Commission by the start of 2020, with the new CAP commencing in 2021. Delays in agreeing the CAP Regulations at EU level resulted in a two year transition period being agreed. As a result, the new CAP is now proposed to commence in January 2023, and the current deadline for submission of the CAP Strategic Plan is 1st January 2022.

Political agreement on the CAP Regulations has recently been achieved at EU level. The legislative texts are not yet fully finalised or formally endorsed as there are still certain technical details to be resolved.

To date, the CAP Consultative Committee has been focussed on the specific objectives for the next CAP, as well as the draft SWOT analysis and Needs Assessment that will form part of the CAP Strategic Plan. There has also been a strong focus on how various elements of the new CAP will combine to achieve environmental improvements. In addition, the Committee has considered the legislative proposals relating to the distribution of direct payments. More recently, the Committee has started to consider the draft interventions proposed for inclusion in the CAP Strategic Plan.