Speaking while en route to Brussels Ulster Farmers’ Union President Harry Sinclair has said that good progress has been made in the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) negotiations and that a final deal by the 30 June Irish Presidency deadline looks possible.
UFU President Harry Sinclair said; “It has been an intense 48 hours in Luxembourg, with negotiations going on into the early hours of this morning and I think this is a testament to the commitment of all involved to ensure an agreement is reached by the end of this week. A lot of progress has been made in the last two days, the EU Council has now officially agreed its final mandate on CAP reform and I think it is fair to say we have come a long way since the EU Commission published its original proposals nearly two years ago.
“Largely, the latest developments have been positive and will work in favour of Northern Ireland’s farmers. The UFU has consistently argued that there must be a longer and smoother transition period towards a flatter rate payment system in order to allow farm businesses enough time to plan and adapt and this now looks set to happen. It has been confirmed that Member States will have regional flexibility with no defined minimum first step as long as by the end of the current budget period every entitlement is 60% of the average regional payment. We have also managed to get clarity in terms of greening and it looks like the vast majority of farms in Northern Ireland will be exempt from these additional measures as their nature makes them green by definition. The ban on the first ploughing of carbon rich soils has also been removed which is extremely welcome news as this would have had a major impact on our traditional farming systems and was one of the key issues which we stressed to the EU’s Agriculture Commissioner during his visit to Northern Ireland last year.
“We are continuing to pursue clarity around the issue of an Active Farmer. This remains a vital element of the CAP deal for us and the UFU, along with Agriculture Minister Michelle O’Neill and our MEPs, will continue to push for a suitable resolution.
“Overall, it looks like common sense has prevailed and the EU Commission and EU Agriculture Council have taken a pragmatic approach in the final stages of this CAP reform process and I believe that the position reached is workable for Northern Ireland’s farmers. An agreement on CAP reform is within reach and now it is up to the EU Parliament to ensure there is no delay.”
UFU President Harry Sinclair and UFU Chief Executive Clarke Black are travelling to Brussels for what is hoped to be the final stage of the CAP reform negotiations when the EU Parliament meets today (26 June).
