Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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309. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the redistributive measures he is proposing in the CAP Strategic Plan; and if he will bring this plan before the Houses of the Oireachtas for approval. [51454/21]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The political agreement on the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy strikes the right balance in seeking to ensure a fair distribution of payments between farmers while also supporting the agriculture sector to achieve a higher level of environmental and climate ambition.

Significant flexibility is given to Member States to achieve this, in accordance with their own national circumstances. This flexibility was one of my key objectives in the negotiations, and I am pleased that it was secured.

Specifically on the targeting and distribution of payments, the agreement provides for voluntary capping of direct payments at €100,000, with Member States also free to reduce payments above €60,000 by up to 85%.

Internal convergence of payments will continue, with each entitlement value to reach a minimum of 85% of the national average value by 2026.

And a mandatory redistribution of 10% of direct payments funding to small and medium sized farmers is also provided for, but with a derogation for Member States where they can demonstrate that their redistribution needs can be satisfied by other measures in Pillar I. 

I have been consulting widely with farmers in recent months on how we can best apply this flexibility to address these issues at national level, including through the national CAP Stakeholder Consultative Committee, through a countrywide series of mart meetings, and through a formal public consultation exercise which attracted more than 1,000 submissions. I and my officials have also discussed the CAP with the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine on a number of occasions.

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