Irish Examiner view: CAP remains key to the entire rural economy

Irish Examiner

2 days ago

While we have long ceased to be an agrarian economy, food and agriculture remain vital cogs in the Irish economic machine. So when farmers voice concerns about changes to funding from Europe, we should listen.
Farming might not be sexy to an urban population, but that population would find itself greatly impoverished without the things farmers produce. And the industry has such a seasonally and weather-dependent income, with wild fluctuations for the same produce or livestock over the course of time, that any disruption to more guaranteed lines of money become grave situations very quickly.
This week, we heard from the Irish Farmers' Association that there is 'a big battle ahead' over EU farm supports, as well as fears that reforming the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) — a European set piece — from 2027 will only undermine food production in this country.
It is true that there is only ever so much money to go around, and that other countries have different priorities.
It is also true that with European countries pivoting more toward defence spending, the money available for workhorses such as farming could be reduced to allow for investment elsewhere.
The EU itself has previously announced an €800bn fund for defence, as well as earmarking sums for investment in AI so the bloc doesn't fall behind the likes of the US and, increasingly, China.
Yet, we should be conscious of IFA president Francie Gorman's assessment that 'the CAP provides an annual injection of nearly €2bn into our rural economy to support food production … the CAP has been the cornerstone of the multi-billion export sector that underpins thousands of jobs in regions far from the urban centres'.
We are known globally for our food and drink exports. They support many thousands of jobs nationwide, and Irish food can be found worldwide. But, as it is, regular readers of our farming supplement will know that many farms are already dependent on off-farm income, or are struggling to find successors.
It would be devastating not just for rural Ireland, but for the economy as a whole, if the farming sector faced any significant decline.
Housing targets
Every day there seems to be a tighter squeeze on the housing market, from the median house price rising by a mind-numbing €35,000 in a year to parents needing to give substantial help to children buying their first homes to, now, finding that there were just 32 rental houses eligible for the housing assistance payment — and none at all in Cork City.
Cork, you'll remember, has been targeted for enormous growth under the Government's development plans. But every day the goals and targets seem to not be getting closer, but to be running off into the distance. We are nowhere near completing the number of houses annually that experts believe the country needs and, quite apart from the cost of raw materials, the Irish Examiner has reported in recent weeks on how Ireland will need tens of thousands of extra workers just to meet building demand.
Apartments may not be to everybody's liking, but they
remain an efficient way of creating housing density in a relatively small area — the problem being that the higher the building, the more excruciating the cost.
What more can be done at government level to address this? The housing crisis will, regrettably, only get worse before it gets better — and we have too many homeless families in this country as it is.
What's your view on this issue?
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Body positive
For a species that is naturally so varied in adaptability, taste, and any other category you can think of, we are on the whole utterly useless at properly supporting that diversity.
We could pick any example, but in this instance let's focus on body image. Most of us do, after all, try to encourage our children (and grandchildren) to be their own person, to be comfortable in their own skin, to be who they are.
So it is, as always, disheartening when you see online pile-ons criticising how anybody looks. The most pertinent this week being the actress Jennifer Love-Hewitt appearing at a film premiere not as she was in her 20s but — shock! horror! — like the woman in her mid-40s that she is.
Body shaming is by no means an exclusively male endeavour, or even an exclusively adult one, but letting it go unchallenged seems like a disservice to, well, everyone. And we should note that this is the case when it comes to Love-Hewitt, with many people pushing back against the negative comments and praising her for her more natural look.
While there is something to be commended in rejecting Hollywood stereotypes of what a woman — or indeed man — should look like, ultimately the positive portrayal and inclusion of different body shapes is far more important. The simple act of confidently existing should be enough, but even a cursory glance online will show that the act of existence can be seen by too many people as almost a personal affront.
The battle to meet expectations for looks on screen has also seen some male stars going to absurd lengths. Chris Hemsworth has a special routine to drain fluid from his arms to make them look more muscular on camera, while Hugh Jackman typically doesn't drink for two days before shirtless scenes as Wolverine. None of this is healthy or relatable, yet some actors and actresses feel they have no choice because of whatever role they play or persona they have created.
The objectification of the body, while it has sadly always been with us, seems to feel more weaponised in an era where influencers and grifters dribble detritus onto the phones of teens and adults alike 24/7. Certainly, there is an air of entitlement to judge, even if doing so shows the judges to be deficient in a great many qualities from empathy to discernment.
The lesson, surely, is that for all our positive reinforcements, we as a species have a long way to go before we can truly be said to embrace our differences.
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Irish Examiner view: International aid has a long way to go yet