IFA leader outlines three priorities for 2026

Mercosur, CAP, and cost of doing business are top issues

Francie Gorman, president of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA), said three issues will dominate the organisation's work agenda for 2026: opposition to the Mercosur trade deal; the budget for the next CAP; and the cost of doing business.

Addressing the 71st IFA AGM in the Irish Farm Centre today, Mr Gorman stated: “Our campaign will now focus on the vote in the European Parliament. We have resisted this deal for over 20 years and in that time, the standards in Brazil have not improved. The recent recall of Brazilian beef in this country shows that food safety is under threat if this deal is allowed to go through."

The IFA leader said the EU Commission cannot stand over this deal and it is now up to the MEPs to reject it.

On CAP, Mr Gorman said the Government has to work on a larger budget following the proposal from the EU Commission to reduce what will be allocated to CAP.

“The Irish Presidency in the second half of 2026 will be crucial in this regard. As net contributors, our Government has to insist on delivering a greater level of funding to CAP through the MFF," he stated.

“The CAP itself has to be directed at those farmers who are farming the land sustainably and producing food; tending to livestock; and harvesting the crops. And that applies irrespective of what age they are, or where they are from.”

The IFA president also raised the cost of doing business and make specific reference to the level of carbon tax and excise that applies to fuel.

“This is a key input that farmers cannot function without. It has to be resolved.”

Meanwhile, new research from the National Dairy Council (NDC) published today shows a strong increase in public trust in Irish dairy farmers and their care for the environment, with nearly three-quarters of Irish adults now expressing confidence in how dairy farming is carried out. The research was undertaken during November 2025.

Since 2022, the NDC has been tracking public sentiment across all adult age cohorts at regular intervals, measuring attitudes toward sustainability, nutrition and environmental care.

The latest results, from November 2025, show that 74 per cent of the population agree with the statement “I trust Irish dairy farmers to take care of the environment” — a two per cent increase on the tracking from May of this year.

Agreement has also strengthened across the other two key measures tracked by the NDC. Belief that dairy can be part of a sustainable diet has increased from 68 per cent in 2022 to 81 per cent today, while agreement that dairy is part of a healthy, balanced diet has risen from 65 per cent to 82 per cent. These figures are stable since May 2025.

Emma Walls, National Dairy Council CEO, says: “Against a backdrop of negative commentary and misinformation about farming, this sustained increase represents an excellent result and demonstrates that the positive, evidence-based messaging on dairy farming is clearly resonating with the public.

"Ultimately, however, the real credit for this shift lies with our dairy farmers. Their ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship, introducing multiple sustainability measures on farm is building trust and confidence with Irish people.”

The NDC will continue to tell the story of Irish dairy farmers through increased focus on its Farmer Ambassador programme and by using the Quality Milk Awards to highlight the story of quality and sustainability in dairy farmer.

Iarlaith Corcoran, managing director at Opinions Research, adds: “The scale and consistency of the increase we are seeing is notable. Trust in Irish dairy farmers’ care for the environment has risen steadily across multiple waves of research since 2022, and the latest results show that this positive shift is being sustained across age groups. This suggests a genuine improvement in public understanding and confidence, rather than a short-term change in sentiment.”

The NDC’s sentiment tracking programme began in 2022 and surveys nationally representative samples of Irish adults at least twice each year. It tracks agreement with three statements relating to dairy’s role in a sustainable diet, a healthy, balanced diet, and trust in Irish dairy farmers to take care of the environment.