The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has raised alarm over draft European Commission proposals that could fundamentally alter the structure of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funding from 2028, warning of severe implications for Irish agriculture and rural development.
According to leaked documents seen by RTÉ News, the European Commission is proposing to merge CAP with other EU budgetary instruments — including cohesion, migration, and infrastructure funds — under a single “National and Regional Partnerships” fund in the next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).
This move would mark the end of CAP as a standalone fund, potentially stripping agriculture of its ringfenced budget and allowing governments more flexibility to redirect funds toward other priorities.
IFA President Francie Gorman described the proposal as a significant downgrading of the EU’s commitment to food production. “The CAP is being turned into an environmental and social policy. Support for farmers who are producing the most food is being consistently reduced,” he said. “There is a big battle ahead to retrieve a coherent policy from what the EU Commission is proposing.”
Ireland currently receives around €2 billion annually under the CAP, which supports thousands of jobs in rural areas and underpins a multi-billion-euro export sector. The proposed shift has prompted concern that CAP funding could be reduced by up to 30%, according to some Irish MEPs.
Fine Gael MEP Maria Walsh, a member of the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee, said the proposals “highlight a real risk of the already insufficient CAP budget being further decreased” and criticised the removal of ringfenced funding for rural development initiatives such as the LEADER programme.
Independent Ireland MEP Ciaran Mullooly echoed the concerns, calling the plans “absolutely disastrous” and warning that scrapping Pillar 2 rural development grants could devastate communities across the Midlands, west, and northwest.
While the Commission argues that merging funds will offer greater flexibility and allow governments to respond more effectively to national needs, critics warn it could sideline agriculture at a time of increasing global food insecurity.
The draft also proposes that CAP payments should focus more on “active farmers” — those for whom farming is the principal activity — and includes measures to significantly increase supports for young farmers, with establishment grants potentially rising from €100,000 to €300,000.
Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon acknowledged the concerns but said the proposal was the beginning of a long negotiation process. “My priority throughout will be to ensure that the legislation finally agreed reflects Ireland’s concerns, and provides certainty and stability for farmers,” he said.
Ireland is expected to play a pivotal role in the upcoming talks, particularly during its EU Council presidency in the second half of 2026, when detailed negotiations on the 2028 budget are expected to intensify.
