Tipperary farming: ICSA 'regret' at EU decision on sharing CAP reform

ICSA president Patrick Kent has said it is very regrettable that the European Parliament agriculture committee is being forced to share competence on CAP reform with the environment committee.

"We have seen how the environment committee made a mess of the role it got on biofuels under the Renewable Energy Directive negotiations,” he said.

Mr Kent said that the environment committee's position was informed more by ideology than by pragmatic environmental outcomes.

“A similar approach to CAP reform will undermine the likelihood of a coherent parliament position on CAP,” he said.

Mr Kent said that while it was accepted that CAP had to deliver on environmental and climate change objectives, this would best be achieved by decisions which were informed by a real understanding of the challenges facing farm families.

“The whole raison d'être of the agriculture committee is being disregarded by this decision,” the ICSA leader maintained.

The decision was taken in Brussels by the European Parliament presidents' committee. While the EU Parliament Ag committee still retains lead competence the decision means that the environment committee will be able to strongly interfere in this and will also be able to bring proposals on CAP direct to the European Parliament sitting in plenary.

“This will surely lead to disarray around an already complex set of reform proposals,” said Mr Kent.