Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) generational renewal plans are "frustratingly ambiguous", according to Independent TD for Offaly Carol Nolan.

In a parliamentary question to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, Deputy Nolan sought details on how the government plans to bolster generational renewal in farming.

In response, Minister Heydon said: “There are a number of supports for generational renewal currently available to farmers under Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) 2023-2027.

“The Commission on Generational Renewal in Farming was established to examine this issue, which is complex, with many factors involved.

“The commission adopted an objective, evidence-based approach to examining all the factors involved and engaged closely with stakeholders.

According to Minister Heydon, an implementation group in his department is "currently considering the recommendations and will monitor implementation on an ongoing basis".

"The current CSP is fully programmed and the budget has been committed," he added

“Therefore, recommendations in the report around CAP supports will need to be considered in the context of the new round, post-2027, including the new CAP regulation and a new budget.

“While some recommendations can only be progressed in the context of the next CAP, others can and will be implemented in a shorter time frame.”

‘Dangerous signal’

In a statement on the minister's reply, Deputy Nolan noted that the Programme for Government and Food Vision 2030 "both recognise generational renewal as essential to the social and economic sustainability of rural Ireland".

"I welcome that strong emphasis without reserve," she added.

However, Deputy Nolan expressed her concern about the government's proposal to tie generational renewal supports to the post-2027 CAP.

"Linking key supports to a future CAP budget, particularly one that could be severely diminished, sends a dangerous signal," she continued.

"As farm organisations have warned, these proposals threaten the fabric of rural communities and could destroy European agriculture.”

According to Deputy Nolan, Minister Heydon's reply highlighted that CAP-related supports from the report would be considered in the context of the post-2027 CAP framework, including a new regulation and budget.

She described this aspect of the minister's response as "frustratingly ambiguous".

"The minister's reply effectively kicks the can down the road on vital generational renewal supports, tying them to an uncertain post-2027 landscape," she said.

“I will be engaging with the minister to provide immediate clarity on how Ireland will safeguard generational renewal against these budget risks and how he intends to advocate forcefully at EU level for a protected CAP envelope.”