Common Agricultural Policy
Dail Éireann — 2026-03-19
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Martin Heydon (FG), Kildare South

I concur completely on the importance of the Common Agricultural Policy. We can talk about all the structures, all the rules and all the simplification that we can try to bring in and that I will look to bring in as we design a new scheme, but at its heart is the funding. If the overall funding envelope is 20% less than it was the last time, that is a very significant impact for our country.
The Deputy is dead right in what he says about this being a whole-of-government approach. At the AGRIFISH Council, I raised the specific points about the structure of the CAP and beyond, and our first priority is a properly funded CAP. The Tánaiste, as Minister for Finance, has a key role to play in that regard, as will the Taoiseach and others in all the negotiations, ensuring that the policy remains a clearly identifiable common EU policy and providing sufficient flexibility for member states.
Discussions on proposals are ongoing in the Council's preparatory bodies, including the special committee on agriculture, and the relevant Council working parties. Work is currently focused on progressing the text of the regulation and reaching agreement on compromise provisions among member states, so we continue that work.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-03-19/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:45+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-03-19