Farmers organising 'flash action' in Dublin over EU CAP budget
Farming organisations are to stage a 'flash action' at the EU Commission offices in Dublin on Tuesday warning against plans to strip away the CAP budget in favour of once off funding to be divvied out by member countries.
The Irish Farmers Association (IFA) and Irish Co-operative Organisation Society (ICOS) protest outside EU Commission offices in Dublin at 9:30am will coincide with a flash action organised by COPA COGECA, the largest representative union of more than 22 million European farmers in Brussels.
Advertisement
The EU Commission is holding a budget conference in Brussels on the day, and the action is timed to happen when the conference is underway.
Rumours in Brussels in recent months suggest the European Commission is planning a major restructuring of the EU budget - one that would consolidate more than 530 programmes into a single, generalised fund.
This would mean the elimination of a dedicated, ring-fenced CAP budget, folding it into broader funding streams managed at national level.
The Commission wants to make changes to the EU budget under the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) mooted to begin in July this year.
Advertisement
Concerns escalated last week after Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen announced that the Commission's proposal for the post-2027 CAP would be unveiled in mid-July - unusually, at the same time as the overall MFF proposal.
Typically, CAP proposals follow a while after MFF negotiations. The move has further fuelled fears that CAP's protected status is under threat despite Mr Hansen having said he intends to fight for a ring-fenced CAP.
Barry Cowen, Fianna Fáil MEP and former Minister for Agriculture, has labelled the potential dismantling of the CAP's ring-fenced budget a 'grave mistake' and 'unfathomable' - especially at a time when farmers face compounding financial and regulatory pressures. Mr Cowen, on several occasions, has called for a proportionate increase in CAP funding.
Business
Mayo's Portwest workwear firm sued over alleged he...
Read More
'Scrapping the ring-fenced CAP budget would be a grave mistake. It would gut the strategic foundation of European farming at precisely the moment we need to strengthen it. Confidence in the future of farming would collapse - among young people, families, investors and innovators alike,' explained Mr Cowen.
Advertisement
'What's being proposed here isn't simplification, it's a centralisation of power, plain and simple. It would place budgetary control in the hands of the Commission President, giving Brussels the ability to reward or withhold funding based on political alignment and mean less transparency, less accountability and less relevance to the realities on the ground.'
Francie Gorman, IFA President will attend the flash action in Brussels in his capacity as vice-president of COPA.
Mr Gorman has warned that all the signs are that the Commission is still 'hell bent' on a single fund structure which, if approved, would be the 'beginning of the end of CAP as we know it'.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
31 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Blow for Rachel Reeves as unemployment creeps up and wage growth slows on the eve of Chancellor's spending review
The rate of UK unemployment increased to 4.6 per cent in the three months to April, from 4.5 per cent in the three months to March, the Office for National Statistics said today. Meanwhile UK average regular earnings growth decreased to 5.2 per cent in the three months to April and was 2.1 per cent higher after taking Consumer Prices Index inflation into account. It comes ahead of Chancellor Rachel Reeves announcing the Government's latest spending review tomorrow. More to follow This graph shows the average weekly earnings annual growth rates, seasonally adjusted, from 2001 to present. The latest growth rate decreased to 5.2 per cent in the three months to April
The Guardian
34 minutes ago
- The Guardian
US-China trade talks to resume; UK jobs market ‘weakening' as payrolls tumble
Update: Date: Title: Introduction: US-China trade talks resume in London Content: Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets and the world economy. Trade talks between the US and China are set to resume in London today, as officials push for a breakthrough over shipments of technology and rare earth elements. After more than six hours of talks on Monday, negotations will resume at Lancaster House later this morning. Investors are hopeful of a breakthrough that could continue to ease tensions between the two economic superpowers. President Donald Trump has indicated that the first day of talks were encouraging. He told reporters that 'We are doing well with China. China's not easy….I'm only getting good reports.' The US are unhappy that China has not released crucial rare earth minerals, and magnets, as rapidly as hoped since the two countries agreed an initial trade pact in Geneva a month ago. Treasury secretary Scott Bessent told reporters in London they had a 'good meeting', Bloomberg reports, while commerce secretary Howard Lutnick called the discussions 'fruitful.' 7am BST: UK labour market report 10.15am BST: FCA CEO Nikhil Rathi and FCA chair Ashley Adler testify to Treasury Committee 2.30pm BST: World Bank to release latest economic forecasts Update: Date: 2025-06-10T06:23:19.000Z Title: UK payrolls fall 'notably' in May Content: Newsflash: The number of people on payrolls across the UK has fallen notably, in a sign that the jobs market is weakening. The latest labour force statistics, just released, show that payrolled employment decreased by 109,000 employees (0.4%) in May, compared with April. On an annual basis, there were 274,000 fewer employees last month, compared with May 2024, pulling total payrolls down to 30.2 million. The Office for National Statistics does caution that these estimates are more uncertain than usual; if they're accurate, though, it indicates that demand for workers at British firms is cooling. The revised estimate of employees on the payroll in April 2025 was down 55,000 on the month. The provisional estimate for May 2025 was down another 109, more about this release ➡ The largest decrease was in the accommodation and food service activities sector, a fall of 124,000 employees in the last year, while health and social work added 62,000 employees. ONS director of economic statistics Liz McKeown says: 'There continues to be weakening in the labour market, with the number of people on payroll falling notably. Feedback from our vacancies survey suggests some firms may be holding back from recruiting new workers or replacing people when they move on. Update: Date: 2025-06-10T06:22:54.000Z Title: Introduction: US-China trade talks resume in London Content: Good morning, and welcome to our rolling coverage of business, the financial markets and the world economy. Trade talks between the US and China are set to resume in London today, as officials push for a breakthrough over shipments of technology and rare earth elements. After more than six hours of talks on Monday, negotations will resume at Lancaster House later this morning. Investors are hopeful of a breakthrough that could continue to ease tensions between the two economic superpowers. President Donald Trump has indicated that the first day of talks were encouraging. He told reporters that 'We are doing well with China. China's not easy….I'm only getting good reports.' The US are unhappy that China has not released crucial rare earth minerals, and magnets, as rapidly as hoped since the two countries agreed an initial trade pact in Geneva a month ago. Treasury secretary Scott Bessent told reporters in London they had a 'good meeting', Bloomberg reports, while commerce secretary Howard Lutnick called the discussions 'fruitful.' 7am BST: UK labour market report 10.15am BST: FCA CEO Nikhil Rathi and FCA chair Ashley Adler testify to Treasury Committee 2.30pm BST: World Bank to release latest economic forecasts
Sky News
38 minutes ago
- Sky News
Jobless rate above predicted peak as budget tax hikes kick in
The UK's jobless rate ticked up to 4.6% in April while payrolled employment has fallen sharply since, according to official figures covering the period when budget tax hikes on businesses came into effect. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said the new unemployment rate covered the three months to April. It had previously stood at 4.5% - a total of more than 1.6 million people. At 4.6%, it is above the peak level predicted for this year, just in March, by the Office for Budget Responsibility. Figures from the taxman also highlighted by the ONS showed the number of people in payrolled employment during May fell by 109,000 - double April's revised figure of 55,000. The ONS Labour Force Survey data was the first to cover April's rises in employer national insurance contributions and the national living wage - hikes to costs for businesses which lobby groups had warned would result in job losses, price rises and lower wage settlements. The ONS figures showed average weekly earnings, excluding the effects of bonuses, over the three months to April were down from 5.6% to 5.2% year on year. Despite the easing, that level remains comfortably ahead of the 3.5% rate of inflation but will be welcomed by the Bank of England as its rate-setters continue to fret that strong wage growth represents an inflation risk ahead.
