ICMSA warns CAP reforms must protect food‑producing farms

The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) says there is a “direct line” between the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and Ireland’s food security, and that the policy must be re‑oriented.

ICMSA president Denis Drennan warned that the current emphasis on a “land ownership” model of CAP, which rewards owners of large, often marginal land, is harming active farmers who rely on daily milking and crop production. He questioned why a holder of a few donkeys on a mountain could receive higher direct supports than a farmer milking cows twice a day.

Drennan argued that even if overall food output does not fall, the sector is moving toward “much fewer and much larger farms”. He called for a re‑balancing of direct payments away from the “sterile ‘land ownership’ model” and back to those who are actively producing food, warning that without this shift Ireland’s claim to be a “food superpower” could collapse.

The concerns come as the European Parliament’s agriculture committee, led by German MEP Norbert Lins, published a report on the post‑2027 CAP. The report proposes new definitions of “farmer”, “active farmer” and “young farmer”, leaving the determination of minimum agricultural activity to member states under the 2028‑2034 EU budget framework.

If the next CAP does not address these issues, Drennan says complacency could become “the rock on which the illusion of food security finally crashes”.

Source: Agriland. Photo: Luciann Photography / Pexels.