A member of the European Court of Auditors (ECA) has told MEPs in the European Parliament that she has "rarely" seen such unanimous scepticism as has been generated by the European Commission's proposals for the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Iliana Ivanova made the comment in a meeting of the European Parliament's agriculture committee, where she took part in a debate on a recent Court of Auditors opinion on the CAP proposals for 2028-2034.

The court - which is tasked with overseeing the EU's finances and expenditure - published the opinion last month in which it was largely critical of the commission's plans for CAP.

Ivanova indicated to MEPs that, after presenting the report to a number of parliament committees, and speaking on the court's finding in the French parliament, one overriding opinion on the CAP proposals has come to the fore.

"I rarely happen to see such a reaction and such unanimity in the scepticism that you express, which is also in line [with] the tone of the opinion," she said.

"This doesn't happen very often. So that does tell us something, that probably something is wrong and something needs to be changed," the ECA member added.

She also said that it is "very difficult" to compare the current CAP - which is due to come to end next year - to the proposals for the next CAP as they're "just not comparable".

Ivanova went on to reiterate a range of concerns she had earlier expressed when the report was first published.

Commenting on the report and Ivanova's remarks, Irish MEP Ciaran Mullooly said that the ECA opinion reinforced the concerns already being raised by farmers across Ireland and Europe.

"It is hard not be cynical listening to the findings of the Court of Auditors and then watching the response from the European Commission," he said.

He added that the intention in the parliament has been to simplify CAP rules for farmers, but that the auditors report indicates that the opposite might happen.

"Today the European Court of Auditors is telling us that it is going to be worse if these proposals go ahead," Mullooly said.

"The court speaks about the new governance system, the new governance structure and the introduction of new coordinating bodies. They make it very clear these changes could cause difficulty, confusion and delay. Farmers need certainty and clarity - not another administrative layer," the Independent Ireland TD added.

"That uncertainty is a serious concern for farm families who are already dealing with rising costs, increasing regulation and volatile markets," he said.