ICSA President Backs CAP Amendments
IRELAND - Irish Presidency amendments submitted to the council of ministers in Brussels have been welcomed by Gabriel Gilmartin, Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA)president.
27 February 2013
1 minute read
The changes favour small and medium farmers and the ICSA say it is biased in favour of increasing payments to farmers who have been actively farming in recent years but who have low payments at present.
He pointed in particular to the amendments concerning the “voluntary redistributive payment” which would result in somewhat higher payments on the first hectares.
How many hectares is a matter for debate and would depend on the funds available but ICSA believes that the French proposal to favour the first 50 ha should be the yardstick.
Mr Gilmartin said, “Small to medium-sized Irish farms are the most vulnerable to funding cuts and negative market influences, so it is very welcome to see that such farms will be the focus of a top-up payment on their first hectares.”
The voluntary redistributive payment aims to take account of the greater labour intensity on smaller farms, and the potential savings made through economies of scale by larger farms.
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