ICSA Rural Development chair Edmond Phelan has warned that current Irish and EU policies are increasing food insecurity by creating uncertainty for farmers over the future CAP and promoting trade deals linked to deforestation abroad.

Speaking ahead of next week’s ICSA protest against the Mercosur trade deal he said, “Farmers are being paralysed by uncertainty around the next CAP and the nitrates derogation. They’re being asked to invest in new infrastructure like slurry storage without knowing what stocking rates will be allowed or what the final policy will look like. This lack of clarity is crippling confidence on the ground.”

 “Consumers are also very worried about the cost of living and rising grocery prices, but food inflation is not the farmers’ fault. It’s the direct result of policy contradictions that prioritise energy and trade deals over food. We need a CAP that supports production and fair incomes, not policies that drive farmers out of business.”

 “When energy takes precedence over food production, the outcome is inevitable - higher food prices and greater dependence on imports. Every acre taken out of production for solar panels or rewilding means less food for Europe’s people. Yet while farmers are told to cut back on production, there are no limits on data centres, which already consume more than 20% of our electricity and continue to grow, or on Dublin Airport, both of which have large carbon footprints. It’s time to get our priorities straight and food security must come first.”

 “It also makes no sense for Europe to outsource its food production to South America, where rainforests are being destroyed to produce beef that should be produced here. We can plant trees on every acre in Ireland, but it won’t make the slightest difference to the global climate if the Amazon is cut down to feed Europe. The end result will be millions going hungry globally. That’s not climate action, it’s climate hypocrisy.

 That is also why ICSA will be on the streets next week, demanding that Europe backs its own farmers, protects food security, and says no to Mercosur.”