
Member states push back against limits on CAP crisis reserve
Euractiv
EU diplomats are seeking to give capitals more leeway to pay out farmers during crises under the Commission's agriculture simplification package, on which they aim to reach an agreement after the summer break.
The Danish Presidency of the Council is optimistic about securing a position on the proposed changes to the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in September or early October, two EU diplomats told Euractiv.

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Agriland
43 minutes ago
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MEP calls on DAFM to 'review and revise' approach to GAEC 2
An Irish MEP has called on the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) to revise its approach to the Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition 2 (GAEC 2). GAEC 2 is the conditionality standard of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) related to the protection of peatlands and wetlands. Last week, the department launched an appeals process for farmers seeking to have their land removed from the standard. However, farm organisations voiced concerns about several conditions attached to the appeals process. Midlands North-West MEP Ciaran Mullooly has also called on DAFM to "immediately clarify and withdraw unnecessary conditions it is imposing on landowners seeking to appeal the classification of their land under GAEC 2". He criticised the department's requirement that landowners applying for an appeal may have to provide: A signed declaration from the appellant that the parcel(s) in question has/have never been drained and he/she plans to carry out drainage works in 2025 as required; Evidence to show that the appellant plans to carry out drainage work in 2025 e.g. contractor quotations, estimate of costs etc as required. 'This demand completely misunderstands the purpose of the appeals process,' Mullooly said. 'Farmers are appealing the peat soil designation because they believe it is scientifically incorrect - not because of what they plan to do with the land next year. 'The decision on whether land is peat soil or not must be based on soil science - not hypothetical future land use or drainage plans. To suggest otherwise is to undermine the integrity of the entire process," he said. Ciaran Mullooly MEP The Midlands-North-West MEP said that the department risks "confusing and intimidating landowners". 'Once again, we see bureaucracy being used in a way that frustrates rather than facilitates access to a fair and transparent appeals process. "Farmers are entitled to have incorrect classifications overturned. That entitlement must not be made contingent on signing unnecessary undertakings or presenting irrelevant contractor paperwork," he said. The MEP is calling for the department to "immediately review and revise its approach to GAEC 2 peat soil appeals and ensure the process remains grounded in science, fairness, and farmers' rights". The Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) previously said that the department has made amendments to the appeals process. In an update to the appeal document, DAFM outlined that the documents which have caused concern are not required where no drainage works are planned on previously undrained/drained GAEC 2 land parcel(s) in 2025. Following the amendments, IFA Rural Development Committee chair John Curran said that it is "now clear that all farmers have the opportunity to appeal the indicative GAEC 2 status of individual parcels". 'The clarification also makes the need for signed declarations/proof of drainage works obsolete. "These requirements should be removed from appeal application requirements," he added.


Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
EU formally suspends countermeasures to US tariffs for six months
The European Union will suspend its two packages of countermeasures to US tariffs for six months following the deal made with US president Donald Trump, a Commission spokesperson said confirmed on Monday. The EU-US agreement leaves many questions open, including tariff rates on spirits like Irish whiskey, and Mr Trump's executive order last week setting tariffs on most EU goods at 15% did not include carve-outs such as for cars and car parts. EU officials have said they expect more executive orders to follow soon. "The EU continues to work with the US to finalise a Joint Statement, as agreed on 27 July," the spokesperson said in a statement. "With these objectives in mind, the Commission will take the necessary steps to suspend by six months the EU's countermeasures against the US, which were due to enter into force on August 7." The retaliatory tariffs were in two parts: one in response to US steel and aluminium duties, and the other to Trump's baseline and car tariffs. Meanwhile the Swiss government is ready to make a "more attractive offer" in trade talks with Washington, the cabinet said on Monday, after a crisis meeting aimed at averting a 39% tariff on Swiss imports that could hammer the export-driven economy. The Federal Council it was determined to pursue discussions with the United States, if necessary beyond the August 7 deadline that Mr Trump has set for the tariff to come into effect. "Switzerland enters this new phase ready to present a more attractive offer, taking US concerns into account and seeking to ease the current tariff situation," it said in a statement. The statement did not give any details on what the Swiss government may offer. Switzerland was left stunned on Friday after Mr Trump hit the country with one of the highest tariffs in his global trade reset, with industry associations warning that tens of thousands of jobs were at risk. The duties are scheduled to go into effect on Thursday, giving the country, which counts the US as its top export market for pharmaceuticals, watches, machinery, and chocolates, a small window to strike a better deal. The White House said on Friday it had made the move because of what it called Switzerland's refusal to make "meaningful concessions" by dropping trade barriers, calling the two nations' current trade relationship "one-sided". Swiss industry leaders and politicians, however, have struggled to understand why the country was singled out. Mr Trump has stated that he is seeking to rebalance global trade, claiming that current trade relations are stacked against the United States. And Switzerland had a €41bn trade surplus with the US last year. But Swiss president Karin Keller-Suttersaid on Friday Switzerland had given US goods virtually duty-free access to its market, and Swiss companies had made very important direct investments in the United States. "The president (Trump) is really focused on the trade deficit, because he thinks that this is a loss for the United States," she told Reuters. The new tariff rate - up from an originally proposed 31% tariff that Swiss officials had already described as "incomprehensible" - would deal a major blow to Switzerland's export-focused economy, with economists warning prolonged disruptions could shrink Swiss GDP by more than 1%. The tariffs could also see the Swiss National Bank cut interest rates in September, according to Nomura. An index of Swiss blue-chip stocks briefly hit its lowest since mid-April, as shares in banks, luxury retailers and pharma companies tumbled. The SMI index was last down 0.6% on the day, compared with a 0.6% rise in the regional STOXX 600 index. In Zurich, shares in high-end watchmakers such as Richemont and Swatch fell in volatile trading. Reuters


RTÉ News
7 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Behind the Story: Why Irish seas 'urgently' need more legal protection
Ireland needs its own legislation to safeguard marine protected areas, an expert has warned. Marine biologist Rebecca Hunter told Behind the Story that the damage to the seas around Ireland is "quite alarming". "This year alone there are records of Atlantic Salmon that has declined by 90% since the 1970s," she said. "So, in the past 50, 60 years – not even a human lifetime – 90% of Irish Salmon have been lost. "The European Eel, which would return to Irish rivers, is down 97%." Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are areas that are protected and managed over the long term, with a primary objective of conserving habitats and/or species. The Government approved the general scheme of a Marine Protected Areas Bill in December 2022. However, it was reported in June that the coalition could drop the law in favour of folding it into the offshore wind consenting scheme. "An exercise is being undertaken to explore how the Maritime Area Planning Act 2021 could be revised as an alternative approach, so that the overarching objectives of MPA Bill might be met through amendment of that act," Minister for Housing James Browne has said. Ms Hunter said legislation needs to give Ireland the power to designate marine protected areas for species and habitats of national importance. "Ireland already has some marine protected areas that come from the EU Habitats Directive," she said. "I think currently something like 8.3% of Irish seas are protected through those designations." However, Ms Hunter said there are two issues with relying on EU legislation alone. "The EU Habitats Directive never made a requirement for any management measures to be put in place when those sites were designated," she explained. "They often become what's known as paper parks: [so] they exist on paper, but in effect no activities are being stopped, reduced or managed in any way to protect the species. "The EU Habitats Directive covers species and habitats that are important at an EU level; but that misses a large number that are important at an Irish level". Ms Hunter said there needs to be standalone legislation on marine protection. "National marine protection would allow Ireland to bring forward a new list of species that require protection in Irish waters and it must include the provision that management measures are in place," she said. "Ireland is signed up to the target of achieving at least 20% protection by 2030 – at the minute it's about 8.3%. "Ireland is one of the countries furthest behind in its level of protection". Ms Hunter said the seas need their own piece of legislation for protection, rather than "be shoehorned into a piece of legislation that is designed to manage human activities". Marine and coastal habitats Ms Hunter said recent reports suggest that areas are at risk. "The latest reports on the condition of marine and coastal habitats within some of Ireland's marine protected areas are showing that a huge number of these are in an unfavourable status," she said. "There's a whale-watching company in Cork that closed recently because there are no longer the whales to keep that business going". Ms Hunter said some marine species are closer to extinction than people may realise. "There are animals in Irish seas which are closer to extinction than many of the big species we may think of when we hear that word [such as] snow leopards, giant pandas," she said. "There are animals like the flapper skate, the angel shark – they are ranked as being closer to extinction than any of those other species." Ms Hunter said the decline is due to a number of factors including climate breakdown, water quality issues and habitat loss. 'Our sense of identity' Ms Hunter explained her love for the sea came from her childhood. "It's like another world out there," she said. "I grew up, spending a lot of time in Donegal, around Lough Swilly. "There's so much different marine life that Ireland has - the size of Ireland's sea is about seven-times larger than the size of the island itself". Ms Hunter said Irish waters contain "huge numbers of sea birds and coastal animals" as well as 26 different types of whales and dolphins. "Even more recently discovered animals that were thought to be lost: there are angel sharks in Tralee Bay and there's even coral reefs". Ms Hunter said such creatures are "deeply bound into our stories and our sense of identity". As part of her research, she spent four months on a vessel in 2009. "It's a wonderful experience, it can be a tough experience," she recalls. "There were a lot of storms; we had to actually rescue a rower trying to make his way over the Atlantic Ocean at one point. "You learned to stick your life jacket under one side of your mattress to sort of push your mattress up against the wall. "That held you in in your bed, so that the storms didn't chuck you out of your bed halfway through the night".