Minister Heydon attending political meeting of Ministers for Agriculture in Brussels

The European Commission will today host an extraordinary meeting of European Agriculture Ministers with three European Commissioners (for Agriculture and Food, Trade, and Food Safety) in Brussels to reflect on actions which can be taken by the EU to support the farming and food sector this year, taking into account the concerns expressed during farmer protests in December.

Speaking ahead of today’s meeting, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon T.D., said: “Today’s meeting offers a valuable opportunity to address the concerns expressed recently by European farmers, who are clearly feeling excluded and uncertain about their future. As I have said previously, if the post-2027 CAP is to deliver for food security and environmental sustainability, as well as safeguarding the continued viability of our farmers and rural communities, adequate and stable funding must be the starting point.”

“The EU Budget (MFF) proposals published last summer proposed a ringfenced amount of €293 billion for the CAP Budget for 2028-2034. When compared to the allocation in the current round (€387 billion), this is clearly inadequate, considering our shared ambition for a sustainable, competitive and innovative agri-food sector which assures European food security, produces safe nutritious food, and is attractive for the next generation of farmers.”

Reflecting on the need to improve the competitiveness of European farmers and ensure greater level playing field globally, the Minister said: “I fully appreciate the concerns of farmers in this regard, particularly given recent examples in relation to the standards of beef production in Mercosur countries. The EU’s food safety (or SPS) standards are among the highest in the world, and must be non-negotiable. Ireland is very firmly of the view that EU SPS standards must be rigorously upheld for the benefit of European consumers. Beyond SPS standards, farmers are naturally concerned about competition from countries where farmers are not held to the same high production standards as they are. We need to hear from the European Commission on what further assurances they can give on these issues.”

Concluding, the Minister said: “I will be engaging fully with my Member State counterparts and with the relevant Commissioners on these and other issues in the course of today’s discussions.”

ENDS