‘Farmers spending 50% of time on land and 50% of time form filling’

A EUROPEAN election candidate says that farmers are ‘drowning in red tape’, as he called for the simplification of the Common Agriculture Policy, with a single form for all agriculture-related EU agencies.

Fine Gael election candidate John Mullins said farmers are being unfairly treated when it comes to the current formulation of agriculture policy at a national and European level.

‘Farmers are the backbone of many communities in Ireland and we must ensure that they get a fair deal when it comes to any policy formation on agriculture. There is currently too much red tape that farmers have to deal with and this cannot continue,’ said the Ireland South election candidate.

‘We must support our farmers and make things easier for them when it comes to regulation. Farmers are telling me that they are spending 50% of their time on the land and 50% of their time dealing with regulation and form filling.’

Mr Mullins, the former chief executive of Bord Gais, said that many farmers find themselves having to give the same information in different formats to multiple agencies. He said that there should be one universal form or portal for all agencies developed and it should be placed online so that there is not a constant replication of demands on farmers.

‘Life is hard enough for farmers so let us rationalise the burden,’ he said.

Mr Mullins also supports the review of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) which is being proposed by the EU. This review is aimed to ease the admin burden for farmers.

‘I very much support the review being undertaken to simplify the CAP and I welcome the fact that the European Parliament wants to fast track this proposal and I call on all Irish MEPs to support this in the next plenary at the end of April.’

Mr Mullins is a first-time candidate for the European elections and is entering politics from a business and civic background. He is also an accomplished entrepreneur.

Meanwhile Mr Mullins’ Fine Gael running mate, sitting MEP Sean Kelly, told a meeting of the European People’s Party – of which Fine Gael is a member – in Carlow that CAP funding must be increased to bring ‘productive, profitable, and sustainable farming’.

‘To do this, I believe we need to increase CAP funding to support farmers, food production, and food security. The rising global demand for grain, meat, and dairy presents a significant challenge,’ he told a conference last Friday in Carlow called ‘European Farmers’ Deal: EPP Vision for Agriculture in Europe’.