Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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484. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will respond to reports that Ireland will have to use more than 75 per cent of its allocation from the Regional and National Partnership Plan (NRPP) to maintain the CAP budget at its 2027 level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53136/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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On 16 July 2025, the European Commission launched its proposals for the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) and Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) for the period 2028 to 2034.

These proposals represent a fundamental change in how the future CAP will operate. Pillars I and II are to be replaced by a single framework under the National and Regional Partnership Plan (NRPP), with CAP measures to be delivered as part of that wider structure.

Ireland has been allocated €11.4bn for its NRPP which will include a ringfenced amount of €8.16 billion for CAP. This represents 76% of the CAP budget for Ireland in the current round (€10.7 billion). The Commission have indicated that Member States will be able to top up CAP interventions from their total NRPP budget.

There is a long way to go in these negotiations, and these proposals are a starting point only. It is my intention to seek an increase in CAP funding to ensure an adequate allocation for Ireland as we progress through the detailed budget negotiations, which at the end of the day must be agreed by Heads of State and Government in the European Council.

Ireland will continue to engage actively and constructively in the negotiations. But I will be clear in defending our priorities: a CAP that is workable and flexible, that balances economic, social, and environmental sustainability, and that is backed by adequate EU funding.

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 and the next CFP. I will continue to meet with my counterparts at monthly meetings of the AgriFish Council, as well as in bilateral discussions. 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.