Letter from Brussels - October 2026

It’s hard to believe we are heading towards the end of the Irish presidency of the EU. In reality, it is more like a four-month presidency as little happens in July and August, and things wind down here in Brussels from mid-December. So, October will be a pivotal month for Ireland in terms of progressing talks about the post-2027 EU budget known as the Multiannual Financial Framework. And, of course, within that lies the pot of money set aside for agriculture, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
On his visit to Ireland for the National Ploughing Championships last month, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen was not dismissive of the idea that under the current CAP proposal could not be increased substantially. Farmer and co-operative organisations under the COPA COGECA umbrella in Brussels have made it clear that nothing short of a €500bn budget will suffice. MEPs agree. Under the current proposal, the figure coming from the EU Commission is shy of €300bn.
But the ball has only been thrown in at this point, and there is a lot to play for over the coming months. It will effectively be left up to the Member States themselves to work out where the money to fund the EU between 2027-2035 is going to come from. The horse-trading will be done in the EU capitals. This is where it becomes disruptive with a half dozen countries; Germany, Denmark, Finland, Austria, Netherlands and Sweden known collectively as the ‘frugals’ looking for huge cuts in the European budget. Meanwhile, in the opposite camp, the ‘friends of cohesion’ want to protect agriculture, fisheries, and regional funding, which the Commission’s proposal would cut compared with the current budget. The group includes 17 Member States, among them Spain, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Portugal and the Baltic trio. Ireland is not a member of either club.
The first test of that battle will take place in mid-October when the EU Heads of State meet under the chairmanship of Micheál Martin in Brussels. Meanwhile, regardless of the funding uncertainty, discussions around the texture and structure of the next CAP are already beginning. Discussions around the definition of a farmer, eligible hectare, degressivity and capping, agri-environmental schemes, and funding of young farmers are going to be intense and unpalatable before a penny is divvied out.
There was a lot of anticipation ahead of Ireland taking hold of the EU reins in July but in reality, the Government has been able to hide behind the ‘honest broker’ door in not declaring its hand in terms of the funding and structure of the next CAP. Soon, that ball will be handed onto Lithuania. Ireland will not host the presidency of the EU again until at least the beginning of 2040. What will the farming and food landscape look like then? Getting the next seven years right in terms of supporting food security will be the foundation for that.