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EU Prioritising Defence Spending Over Farmers - Midlands MEP

Thursday, 17 July 2025 09:11

Midlands MEP Ciaran Mulloly has criticised the motive.

Questions are being asked about the future of farming in Ireland after the EU's decision to slash funding for the sector.

The European Commission has announced a 20 per cent drop in resources as part of the 2 trillion euro budget for 2028 to 2034.

The IFA is describing the announcement as a hammer blow with farmers receiving a pension set to lose their right to funding altogether.

While Midlands MEP Ciaran Mullooly says the the bloc is spending a disproportionate amount of money elsewhere:

Commenting on the proposed new structure for the delivery of CAP, MEP Luke 'Ming' Flanagan was critical of the approach taken by the Commission. 

He says the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) as we know it look set for a major overhaul.  

According to Commission officials this new approach will give greater flexibility to member states to design interventions that can increase effectiveness and complementarity between existing funding streams and avoid overlaps in administration and management.

So, what will this mean for Agriculture supports in the future?  The current proposal envisages €300bn at EU level to be ring-fenced out of the NRFP fund as income support for farmers.  To put this in context in the last programming period the allocation to CAP was in the region of €387bn.

Mr Flanagan says it's extremely disappointing said Mr Flanagan that in the face of increased need for funding to ensure EU food sovereignty and to address climate change that the allocations to CAP have decreased while the overall EU budget has increased.

The new CAP will still be directed under its own Regulation and funded out of the single national fund.  The proposed new CAP regulation will have overarching objectives these include;

  • Contributing a more targeted income support for farmers & their long-term competitiveness
  • Improving the attractiveness of the profession & fostering generational renewal
  • Enhancing the role of the farming & forest sector for climate action, ecosystem services provision, the conservation of biodiversity & natural resources.
  • Improving resilience, ability to cope with crises & risks.
  • Accelerate innovation, enhancing access to knowledge & accelerating the digital transition.
  • Enhancing work conditions & life in rural areas.

The intervention to support farmer set out in the draft regulation mirror in many ways the current regulation these include;

  • Degressive area-based income support;
  • Coupled income support;
  • Crop specific payment for cotton;
  • Payment for small farmers;
  • Payment for natural & other area specific constraints;
  • Support for disadvantages resulting from certain mandatory requirements;
  • Agri-environmental & climate actions;
  • Support for participation in risk management tools;
  • Support for investments for farmers;
  • Support for the setting up of young farmers and the start-up of rural businesses including the setting up of new farmers;
  • Support for farm relief services;
  • Support for LEADER;
  • Support for knowledge sharing & innovation in agriculture, forestry & rural are.

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