Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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113. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the outcome of the most recent discussions at the EU Agriculture Council in relation to the future funding of CAP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36646/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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It is a key responsibility of Government to raise Ireland's concerns with our EU partners and to influence EU policy. As set out in the Programme for Government, the Government will continue to work with EU institutions and Member States to ensure robust funding for the CAP so that it meets both new challenges and opportunities.

The CAP has supported Irish farmers and rural development over many decades. A well-funded CAP is essential in supporting farm incomes and food security, while contributing meaningfully to wider EU objectives, including on climate, biodiversity and innovation. Currently, the CAP is being delivered in Ireland through the CAP Strategic Plan for the period 2023-2027 with a budget of €9.8 billion over those five years. I am determined that CAP will continue to play a positive role in supporting Irish farmers, the food industry and rural communities and the wider economy into the future.

The European Commission is due to set out proposals for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) in mid-2025. Negotiations on the MFF proposals will subsequently commence and will likely run in parallel to the CAP post-2027 negotiations. The exact timing of the Commission's proposals for post-2027 CAP remains to be confirmed. These proposals will be negotiated by Finance Ministers and ultimately agreed by Heads of State.

As Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, I am working closely with the EU institutions and with my counterparts in other Member States to influence the negotiations for the next CAP.

I have and will continue to meet monthly with my counterparts in the Council of the European Union as well as in bilateral discussions. On the 3rd of June I signed a Joint Declaration with 19 EU counterparts reflecting our shared agreement to maintaining an autonomous strategic and independent CAP in the next MFF post 2027.

I will continue to engage with Christophe Hansen, the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, and my fellow EU Ministers on these issues. I assure the Deputy that I will prioritise these engagements at European level, particularly in preparation for Ireland’s Presidency of the EU in the second half of 2026.

The CAP is central to the EU’s success in ensuring food security, supporting farm incomes and developing rural areas. The CAP also remains critical to the agri-food sector’s resilience and competitiveness, as it has since Ireland joined the EU more than fifty years ago.

As CAP and MFF negotiations progress, Ireland will continue to advocate for a simplified, well-funded and adaptable CAP framework that supports farm resilience, environmental ambition, and rural development. Ireland will play a key role in these negotiations in the run up to and during our Presidency of the EU in the second half of 2026.