Brendan Smith: Defend CAP Funding in EU Budget Talks
Brendan Smith speaks on the EU multi-annual financial framework and warns that the European Commission's proposal for the Common Agricultural Policy is inadequate. He urges that Ireland must not accept cuts to CAP funding and calls on the Taoiseach to gather like-minded leaders to secure proper funding post-2027.
Brendan Smith describes the Commission proposal in respect of CAP as totally inadequate and stresses that we have to have a properly funded CAP. He recalls the historical role of the Common Agricultural Policy and its aim to ensure a secure supply of safe food for European citizens.
Smith says Ireland cannot tolerate or countenance a reduction in CAP funding and asks the Taoiseach to enrol the support of like-minded heads of government to defend CAP post-2027. He highlights Spain as traditionally supportive of a properly funded Common Agricultural Policy.
He outlines the wider budget debate: some member states want cuts, others want increases, and competing priorities include cohesion, defence, digital transformation and decarbonisation. Smith stresses that ambitions such as AI investment and green transition require a budget to match political goals.
Smith points to food security as a core purpose of CAP and recalls concerns raised during the early stages of the Ukraine war about grain exports and the Black Sea Grain Initiative. He notes fears that disruptions could have knock-on effects in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa.
Assessment of the CAP proposal
Brendan Smith describes the Commission proposal in respect of CAP as totally inadequate and stresses that we have to have a properly funded CAP. He recalls the historical role of the Common Agricultural Policy and its aim to ensure a secure supply of safe food for European citizens.
Ireland's position and appeal
Smith says Ireland cannot tolerate or countenance a reduction in CAP funding and asks the Taoiseach to enrol the support of like-minded heads of government to defend CAP post-2027. He highlights Spain as traditionally supportive of a properly funded Common Agricultural Policy.
Budget tensions and competing priorities
He outlines the wider budget debate: some member states want cuts, others want increases, and competing priorities include cohesion, defence, digital transformation and decarbonisation. Smith stresses that ambitions such as AI investment and green transition require a budget to match political goals.
Food security and recent crises
Smith points to food security as a core purpose of CAP and recalls concerns raised during the early stages of the Ukraine war about grain exports and the Black Sea Grain Initiative. He notes fears that disruptions could have knock-on effects in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa.
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Transcript
I'm glad that you discussed with the Spanish Prime Minister the multi-annual financial framework. Well, within that multi-annual financial framework, the proposal by the European Commission in respect of CAP is totally inadequate. We have to have a properly funded CAP. I know from my own experience the Spaniards were always good supporters of Common Agriculture Policy and having it properly funded. We know that the Common Agriculture Policy was the first Common Policy of the European Union. By and large it has been very successful. Its aim was to ensure a secure supply of safe food for the citizens of Europe. There are many challenges for our farming sector today, for our food sector and also for our rural communities. And there will be huge challenges ahead as well. So under no circumstances can Ireland tolerate or countenance a reduction in CAP funding. So Taoiseach, it's very important in my opinion that you enrol the support of all like-minded heads of government in relation to the need to ensure that we have a properly and adequately funded CAP post-2027, which is critical for our culture. Deputy Brendan Smith, absolutely there are issues and we are in our discussions with the Honest Broker now, but in all those meetings I've had, I would say that there's a preponderance of you wanting retention of CAP and strengthened CAP and also cohesion. So a lot of the countries, the eastern flank in particular, are strong on cohesion, but they also want defence now in or protection of the eastern flank, because they feel their situation is existential in respect of Russia. They genuinely believe that Russia is coming for them next, if you're in the Baltics in particular, and Poland and some of the Nordics obviously as well. So the problem will be to try and get agreement on a budget, and it's like endeavouring to reconcile the irreconcilable. Some Member States, the net contributors apart from us, even though we're net contributors, we're not looking for a cut in the overall budget, because we believe Europe has to be ambitious in terms of making sure we can grow our economy, making sure we can avail of the digital transformation of AI, making sure we can do the decarbonisation of European economy and society. So that will cost, that will need investment. So some countries want to cut the overall budget, some want to increase, some want to reduce the competitiveness funds and others and try and get more for CAP and cohesion. A lot of people support CAP and cohesion. The challenge at the moment is of more demand for a limited budget. Our view is that overall the European Union budget is about 1% of GDP, of European GDP, European Union GDP. So it's not a huge sum of the overall context of output within the European Union. And if Europe has a lot of ambitions, and different Member States have a lot of ambitions, but you have to have a budget to realise those ambitions. A lot of people have spoken favourably about the Common Agricultural Policy being a key part of our security architecture in terms of food security for Europe. And that came across strongly from quite a number of Member States, that we have to factor in food security. It was very interesting, you remember the early stages of the Ukraine war and the whole issue about grain and the Black Sea Grain Initiative, and the real fear that that would have repercussions across Africa, sub-Saharan Africa in particular, and could cause famine in those locations.