Farmers who are farming some of the poorest land in Ireland are receiving thousands of euros less in CAP payments than their Dublin counterparts.
Aontú Senator Sarah O’ Reilly says that the latest statistics on CAP payments reveal “a shocking and unacceptable disparity which lays bare the Government’s real commitment to rural Ireland for once and for all”.
She says
“Farmers in Dublin are receiving an average CAP payment of €25,500 per year. Meanwhile, in Cavan, that figure drops to €14,500. In Mayo and Monaghan, it’s just €12,500. Donegal farmers receive an average of only €13,500. Right across the North and West—Roscommon, Galway, Leitrim, Sligo—farmers are getting payments that are more than €10,000 lower than their Dublin counterparts.”
“The very purpose of CAP payments is to sustain those who work the land, particularly those farming in challenging conditions—bad, rocky, wet land, where every inch of progress is hard-earned.
“The EU Commission itself has classified the North and West of Ireland as a ‘lagging region’ based on GDP and poverty levels. Yet instead of prioritising investment in these areas, we see a system that favours the capital while leaving rural Ireland struggling to survive”.
“The bureaucracy surrounding CAP and the delay in ACRES payments only adds insult to injury. Farmers are STRANGLED by paperwork, fighting red tape and a bureaucratic system. Payments are delayed, we hear of ‘technical issues’ and unacceptable delays. Funds that should be supporting rural livelihoods are held up by inefficiency and IT systems that are not fit for purpose. We currently have 10,400 farmers awaiting ACRES payments. This is absolutely unacceptable to say the very least. Instead of investing in rural communities, this government continues to prop up a system that works against those rural communities.”
“We know that famers’ mental health is suffering and no wonder, when they are absolutely fighting for their very survival”.
“We need a radical shift in agricultural policy—one that recognises and supports farmers in disadvantaged areas. We need to prioritise those who farm in the toughest conditions, not those who already have the advantage of location and resources”.
“We hear lots from this Government about its self-professed commitment to rural Ireland, but it’s just words; hollow and empty. The statistics don’t lie and are incontrovertible evidence that currently there is no fairness and regional balance”.
“If however the Government is serious about regional development, then the Minister for Agriculture must commit to an immediate review of CAP allocations and ensure that fairness is at the heart of the process. Schemes must be simplified to allow farmers go back to what they do best – farming, producing quality food to the highest standards”.
