Union of Unions of Farmers and Ranchers has "strongly" rejected the proposal of the Irish presidency of the Council on the future Multiannual Financial Framework, understanding that it "does not bring any positive aspect" to the European agricultural sector in the context of budget negotiations and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the period 2028-2034, as stated in a statement.
In particular, the agricultural professional organization has expressed its "disappointment" because, in its opinion, the key elements of the CAP are "totally reconfigured" with the Commission's proposal, which would imply a reduction of community governance and the common nature of the CAP, as it would be integrated into the country plans of each member state, which would have greater leeway to decide to what extent to finance the CAP alongside other policies.
Union of Unions has criticized that, despite the modifications introduced by the Irish presidency, the funding for CAP income support remains frozen. The organization believes it should be increased to maintain, at a minimum, a budget comparable to the current one, in light of the challenges facing the agricultural sector, inflation, and the need to reject mandatory national contributions in areas such as sectoral interventions.
Likewise, it has expressed its "discontent" with the cuts proposed in other relevant items for the sector. Among them, a 30% reduction in the Safety Net for the Unit is contemplated, equivalent to the current crisis reserve of the CAP, intended to address disturbances and stabilize agricultural markets.
The agricultural organization has added that another of the items affected by the cuts of the Irish proposal is the chapter that includes the agricultural sector within the European research program, with a cut of 13% compared to the initial proposal of the Commission, at a time when it is considered essential to accelerate the development of new solutions in the face of challenges such as finding effective alternatives for pest and plant disease control, in a scenario of withdrawal of plant protection products.
In this framework, Unión de Uniones de Agricultores y Ganaderos has urged the Ministry of Agriculture to maintain a clearly opposing stance to this proposal and states that it is "one more reason to take to the streets on October 28 and defend a CAP budget not only for the viability of the agricultural sector but for the affordability of prices for consumers and food security in the EU."