Ruairí Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context

161. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the progress being made in his Department to streamline the applications processes for CAP and other farm grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25660/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

I am acutely aware of the complexity that has grown over the years in relation to farming. I have been, and continue to be, an advocate for simplification at the Council of Agriculture Ministers. This is both to ensure that the rules associated with farm payments can be applied in a practical way that recognises the realities of farming life and also the challenges for member states administering increasingly complex schemes.

In May of 2024, the European Commission introduced some changes to the Common Agricultural Policy regulation, with a view to reducing the administrative burden for farmers. These changes cover a number of areas, including simplifications to the basic Conditionality Standards.

Some of these changes needed to be tailored to the Irish situation through an amendment to the CAP Strategic Plan, which was submitted to the European Commission in 2024. Other elements were implemented immediately, such as an exemption from controls and penalties under the CAP conditionality for 20,000 small farmers farming on less than ten hectares.

I am committed to meaningful simplification for farmers, both for the current 5-year CAP programme and for future CAP reform. Regarding the streamlining of the applications processes for CAP, my Department has already made large scale and impactful improvements in this area, around digital platforms, support for farmers through our telephone help-desk service and in-person clinics; and we will continue to take every opportunity to make changes to benefit farmers and to make the application processes as simple and meaningful as possible.