Luke Ming Flanagan: CAP must protect small farmers and fishers
Luke Ming Flanagan addresses cuts to the Common Agricultural Policy and the Multiannual Financial Framework, warning of direct losses for Roscommon and threats to small-scale farmers and fishers. He also demands action on defective concrete, saying affected households deserve dignity and resolution.
Luke Ming Flanagan sets out why he believes the Common Agricultural Policy is the EU's most important policy and why current MFF proposals risk reducing payments. He cites that Roscommon has received one billion euro in CAP payments since 2014 and warns of a projected 200 million euro loss under present budget proposals.
Flanagan argues that support must be targeted to those most in need: marginal land farmers, small holdings, designated lands and pluriactive farmers who contribute to food sovereignty and public goods without fair remuneration. He stresses that payments must be distributed in ways these farmers can actually access.
The MEP highlights a proposed fall in fisheries funding from £6 billion to £2 billion and insists that small-scale, low-impact fishers must be able to access any available aid. He warns that allocation mechanisms matter as much as totals when funding is reduced.
Flanagan closes by pressing the Commission and Member States to resolve ongoing infringement proceedings on defective concrete. He underscores the human cost: thousands of lives blighted by crumbling homes and a call for dignity and swift action.
Key points and urgency
Luke Ming Flanagan sets out why he believes the Common Agricultural Policy is the EU's most important policy and why current MFF proposals risk reducing payments. He cites that Roscommon has received one billion euro in CAP payments since 2014 and warns of a projected 200 million euro loss under present budget proposals.
Who should be prioritised
Flanagan argues that support must be targeted to those most in need: marginal land farmers, small holdings, designated lands and pluriactive farmers who contribute to food sovereignty and public goods without fair remuneration. He stresses that payments must be distributed in ways these farmers can actually access.
Fisheries funding and access
The MEP highlights a proposed fall in fisheries funding from £6 billion to £2 billion and insists that small-scale, low-impact fishers must be able to access any available aid. He warns that allocation mechanisms matter as much as totals when funding is reduced.
Defective concrete and human cost
Flanagan closes by pressing the Commission and Member States to resolve ongoing infringement proceedings on defective concrete. He underscores the human cost: thousands of lives blighted by crumbling homes and a call for dignity and swift action.
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Transcript
Fáilte Roat, Mícheál, Fáilte Roat, Tomás. When I got elected to the European Parliament I got elected as a sceptic. I got elected because I was told by the Irish Government continuously when they weren't happy with the EU enforcing rules that they were made to do it. I have discovered otherwise. And since I got elected here I have to say I believe the Common Agricultural Policy is the most important policy of the European Union. In my county alone, a county of 80,000 people, one billion euro in cap payments has come to Roscommon since I was elected in 2014. Over the same period, in the future, if we stick with current budgetary proposals on the MFF, we would see a reduction in payments of 200 million euros just to Roscommon, excluding inflation. All the more reason then that we get this right when deciding who gets this money. In the Commission proposal the text refers to those most in need. To me the most in need are those that farm marginal lands on small holdings and those on designated lands. We also need to respect those pluriactive farmers who, while not making a full-time living out of farming, are nonetheless contributing in a significant way to food sovereignty and the provision of public goods, the latter which has never been properly remunerated for. The proposals on fisheries are even worse, from £6 billion to £2 billion. As with agri-funding, this means it has now been never more important that small-scale low-impact fishers are given this money. The money must be provided in a way that fishers can actually access it. As things stand, that is not the case. Finally, in relation to defective concrete, when are you going to get your act together? Infringement proceedings remain open. They do so in spite of the fact that thousands of people's lives have been blighted by crumbling houses. The danger of this issue repeating itself remains very real. The European Parliament has backed this. You now need to do something about it. People deserve dignity. They don't have it living in a crumb.