ICMSA Calls for Increased CAP Budget and Policy Adjustments Amid Rediscovered Focus on Food Security
Source: The DairyNews
The President of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA), Denis Drennan, has welcomed the inclusion of Food Security in the EU’s Strategic Agenda 2029, emphasizing its potential significance. This shift, according to Drennan, signals a commitment to addressing immediate threats and challenges rather than focusing solely on the abstract, long-term goals of the previous EU Green Deal.
Drennan noted that while the move towards reducing emissions and mitigating climate change is crucial, it should not be the exclusive focus of farm and food policy. The Green Deal’s emphasis on climate aspects alone had brought the farming sector across Member States to the brink of ruin and widespread resentment. "Ensuring we have food in the first place is as important as ensuring it is produced sustainably," Drennan stated.
He further elaborated, “The Green Deal never seemed to grasp that producing enough food securely for the EU population from our own resources is at least as important as producing it in a climate-efficient manner. This Strategic Agenda up to 2029 acknowledges that reality, which is a welcome shift towards practicality over aspiration.”
Drennan emphasized that this announcement needs to be supported by revisiting the CAP Budget, which he claimed has been reduced to the point of ineffectiveness. He called for a reorientation of the budget to support farm families instead of undermining them.
“We hope this rediscovery of the original motive and function of CAP will lead to a meaningful increase in the CAP Budget, delivering policies that genuinely benefit farmers. The constant slicing of direct payments and redirecting funds away from productive farming towards green ‘land stewardship’ has been a disaster. The current system penalizes farmers for producing food and favors those who reduce food production – the exact opposite of CAP’s original purpose,” Drennan asserted.
He concluded by urging immediate action, “This potential change in direction must be reinforced by a significant increase in the CAP budget. Ireland should advocate for this while policy ambition is high. Recognizing the need for Food Security is pointless if the farmers expected to ensure it are being driven out of business due to lack of support and corporate margin-grabbing. Recognizing the necessary change is a start; now we need to see the budget reflect this realization.”
He further elaborated, “The Green Deal never seemed to grasp that producing enough food securely for the EU population from our own resources is at least as important as producing it in a climate-efficient manner. This Strategic Agenda up to 2029 acknowledges that reality, which is a welcome shift towards practicality over aspiration.”
Drennan emphasized that this announcement needs to be supported by revisiting the CAP Budget, which he claimed has been reduced to the point of ineffectiveness. He called for a reorientation of the budget to support farm families instead of undermining them.
“We hope this rediscovery of the original motive and function of CAP will lead to a meaningful increase in the CAP Budget, delivering policies that genuinely benefit farmers. The constant slicing of direct payments and redirecting funds away from productive farming towards green ‘land stewardship’ has been a disaster. The current system penalizes farmers for producing food and favors those who reduce food production – the exact opposite of CAP’s original purpose,” Drennan asserted.
He concluded by urging immediate action, “This potential change in direction must be reinforced by a significant increase in the CAP budget. Ireland should advocate for this while policy ambition is high. Recognizing the need for Food Security is pointless if the farmers expected to ensure it are being driven out of business due to lack of support and corporate margin-grabbing. Recognizing the necessary change is a start; now we need to see the budget reflect this realization.”
