European farm leaders rally in Dublin against proposed CAP funding cuts
European farm organisations held a rally in Dublin on 13 November against the European Commission's proposed cuts to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the 2028–2034 EU budget. Farm leaders warn CAP funding could fall by 24%.
Leaders of European farming organisations gathered in Dublin on Friday, 13 November, to voice concern over the European Commission's proposed EU budget cuts. The rally, organised by the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA), centred on planned reductions to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the EU system that provides financial support to farmers. The cuts would affect farmers in Ireland and across Europe.
Participants included Massimiliano Giansanti, president of COPA, the EU farmers' organisation umbrella group; Lennart Nilsson, president of COGECA, the agricultural cooperatives federation; COPA vice-president Jan Dolezal of the Czech Republic; IFA president Francie Gorman; and French and Spanish farm representatives. The event took place just minutes from the European Political Community summit, where EU leaders were discussing Europe's future under the theme 'Europe – Strong, Secure and Connected'.
The budget at stake
Farmers' concerns centre on the proposed 2028–2034 EU budget, under which CAP funding could be cut by 24%, from €387 billion to €300 billion. For Irish agriculture, this could mean a loss of roughly €2.5 billion. European farm leaders have previously warned that such cuts would be "simply unbearable" for farmers and cooperatives across the EU.
Message to political leaders
Jean Baptiste Boucher, communications and mobilisation director at Copa-Cogeca, stressed how essential CAP payments are to farmers and said political leaders must understand that CAP is worth defending. According to him, CAP has protected Europe for more than 60 years, and the ability to feed 450 million Europeans sustainably and at an affordable price is thanks to farmers. He said the next few weeks are crucial for protecting CAP.
Nilsson called the rally a "timely occasion" and repeated that farmers "don't want to see any cuts to CAP". He stressed that the structure of CAP matters as much as its funding: money should go to active farming, supporting investment by both farmers and cooperatives.
