Barry Cowen MEP tells European Parliament it’s time to get serious about CAP funding with real proposals and practical solutions necessary

Fianna Fáil MEP for the Midlands North-West and full member of the European Parliament’s AGRI Committee, Barry Cowen (pictured) has welcomed growing support in the Parliament against proposed cuts to the Common Agricultural Policy, saying momentum is now building not just to resist reductions, but to restore lost funding through a credible alternative path.

Speaking in Strasbourg last night in relation to the European Parliament’s interim report on the next Multiannual Financial Framework, which will be voted on this week, MEP Cowen said Parliament has already sent a clear political signal that a 20 per cent cut to the CAP is unacceptable and that agriculture cannot be asked to carry the burden of wider budget pressures.

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MEP Cowen, who is Renew Europe’s lead negotiator on the Common Agricultural Policy, said the debate must now move beyond opposition alone and focus on workable solutions. He pointed to a concrete pathway to close the estimated €93 billion funding gap through the full ringfencing of €45 billion in mid-term funding and €48 billion in rural development funding within the CAP.

He said securing a properly resourced CAP is essential not only for farm incomes, but for food security, rural viability and the environmental ambitions the European Union expects agriculture to deliver.

MEP Cowen argued that the Commission’s long-term vision for food and farming cannot be credible if it is not matched by the resources to support it, warning that asking farmers to do more for less would undermine both sustainability and generational renewal.

The European Parliament is expected to continue pressing its position in the budget negotiations in the months ahead, with MEP Cowen indicating the fight is now shifting from resisting cuts to shaping the final financial outcome.

Speaking in the European Parliament, Cowen said:

“We often talk about sustainability in this chamber and we acknowledge the interconnectivity of the three pillars - economic, social and environmental.

“But when we look at the budget allocated to the CAP in the proposed MFF, we see that there is simply no political will to back up that ambition. And once again, our farmers are being asked to do more for less. A 20 per cent cut is not acceptable.

“This week, Parliament will vote on an interim budget that ringfences €433 billion for the CAP - a significant increase, and one we will have to fight hard to secure.

“But it is not enough to simply celebrate a number. We know, as things stand, the shortfall remains real. And it is not enough to stand here and shout about it - as many do.

“As CAP negotiator, I have worked to find a concrete path forward. As a Parliament, we have the power to act - by committing to fully ringfence the €45 billion mid-term amount and the €48 billion rural target within the CAP. That path exists. It is clear. And I would urge my colleagues to support it.”

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