ICMSA tell EU officials that adequate funding for CAP “the prerequisite for everything else”

ICMSA met with Commissioner McGrath, Minister Heydon, Irish MEPs and EU Commission officials yesterday in Brussels as the Association continued its efforts to ensure an adequate budget for CAP Post 2027.  Denis Drennan, President of ICMSA, said that adequate funding for the next CAP is the perquisite for everything else: “If we can’t get the right funding for the next CAP, then everything afterwards is nearly meaningless; the effectiveness – or otherwise – is entirely dependent on the Member States and the Commission getting agreement on the kind of Budget that’s required to give the flagship CAP policy meaning and effect”, he said.   

“We repeated our convictions that CAP must rediscover its origins and ethos in supporting food production and the active farmers who do just that. But the first consideration – the very first – has to be a realistic level of funding that takes account of the ambitions that CAP now encompasses.  We stressed to Commissioner McGrath and our own MEPs that CAP is becoming less and less relevant at precisely the time when its original ambitions – specifically, food security – is more important than ever. ICMSA thinks and told the officials that that ‘spinning’ the question of budget allocation into a ‘choice’ between CAP and food security and massively increased spending on defence is absolutely bogus and false; if the EU can’t feed itself, then all the defence spending in the world won’t matter.  We have to ensure food security and that can only be achieved through a CAP that is adequately funded and focussed on supporting food production. That has to be the starting point and the perquisite for everything else”, said Mr. Drennan.

Ends    15 July 2026

Denis Drennan, 086-8389401

President, ICMSA.

Or

Cathal MacCarthy, 087-6168758

ICMSA Press Office