Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the European Union began on 1 July and comes at a pivotal time for agriculture and rural communities across Europe.
Farmers, food businesses and rural communities are facing pressures from input costs, margins, market volatility, regulatory requirements, succession decisions and the need to invest for the future while maintaining viability today. Those realities must inform Europe’s approach to agriculture, and they will inform Ireland’s work in chairing the Agriculture and Fisheries Council.
Ireland’s Presidency will be guided by three central pillars: competitiveness, security and values. For agriculture, these themes translate into a clear objective: to support farming families, protect incomes, strengthen competitiveness, sustain rural communities and strike the right balance between the economic, social and environmental pillars of sustainability.
At the centre of this work will be the future of the Common Agricultural Policy after 2027.
The CAP is one of the foundations of the European Union. Enshrined in the Treaties, it remains essential to food security, farm incomes, rural resilience and the sustainable management of land across the Union. Ireland will work to ensure that the next CAP remains common, stable and fair, and that it continues to contribute to food security, viable farm incomes and rural resilience.
Negotiations on the future CAP are taking place alongside discussions on the EU’s next long-term budget for 2028–2034 and the proposed National and Regional Partnership Plan framework. Pursuing agreement on the new EU budget is an overarching priority for the Irish Presidency. Ireland is committed to ensuring that the next Multiannual Financial Framework – the MFF – will have the power to transform Europe for the better in the decade ahead.
Ireland will advance negotiations at a critical juncture, bringing Member States closer to agreement on key issues such as the overall size of the budget, where the EU should focus its spending, and where the funding should come from.
Within that wider discussion, Ireland will work to ensure that the CAP retains its visibility, its integrity and its capacity to deliver as a common EU policy.
Our Presidency will also seek to progress the implementation of the Commission’s Vision for Agriculture and Food, with a particular focus on food security, generational renewal, sustainable livestock, the bio economy, animal welfare, and making EU rules simpler and more workable for farmers.
Simplification is not about lowering standards, but about ensuring that EU rules are clear, proportionate and capable of being implemented effectively on the ground.
On Generational renewal - farming must remain an attractive and viable career for young people and new entrants. That requires fair incomes, access to investment and supports, advisory and knowledge-transfer services, and confidence in the future direction of European policy.
Throughout our Presidency, Ireland will be guided by the old proverb “Ní neart go cur le chéile” – strength with unity - at a time when unity is ever more important in the face of a rapidly changing and unpredictable global environment.
To learn more about the current CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027, click here.
Image source: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine