Matt Shanahan (Waterford, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

854. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if his officials have conformed to the consultation principles and guidance as published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in November 2016 in regard to the consultation on the CAP Strategic Plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22790/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Department has conformed to the consultation principles and guidelines referred to in the development of Ireland's draft CAP Strategic Plan (CSP). In particular, our approach has been informed by the three key principles - that the consultation be genuine and achieve real engagement, that it be targeted and easily accessible to those with a clear interest in the policy, and that systematic efforts are made to ensure that all parties have an opportunity to take part at all stages of the policy process.

The development of the CSP has been underpinned by extensive stakeholder and public consultation carried out over the entire course of the Plan’s development, including on:

- the SWOT analysis in autumn 2019;

- the Scoping Report for the Environmental Assessment in spring 2021;

- the proposed interventions in August/September 2021; and

- the Strategic Environmental Assessment and an Appropriate Assessment, which concluded on 8 December 2021.

These activities have been complemented by the ongoing consultation that has taken place through the CAP Stakeholder Consultative Committee, which has met on thirty occasions since its establishment in May 2019, most recently on 29th April 2022. The Committee is comprised of representatives of Government Departments and agencies, farming organisations, environmental groups, industry and academia, and has contributed significantly to both the reform negotiation process and the development of the CSP.

Stakeholder organisations have also been consulted by Ministers on a bilateral basis, as well as through in-person meetings, for example through the mart network after the lifting of COVID restrictions in late 2021. Most recently, my Department hosted a series of information sessions on the new CSP at eleven venues across the country, as well as an online webinar. There has also been regular bilateral engagement with other Departments, and with the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

The draft CSP reflects the diverse views of stakeholders, and consultation will continue over the coming months as we reach the final stages of the European Commission's approval process.