Today’s CAP communication firms up the signals NFU Cymru has been receiving from the European Commission for some time that post 2013 Wales will have to move away from a historic payment system to an area based approach for the calculation of Single Farm Payment.
Ed Bailey, NFU Cymru President, reacting to today’s announcement said, "Until we know the basis for the calculation it is impossible to predict, or second-guess, how this will impact on Wales, let alone individual farmers.
"NFU Cymru, however, will be seeking to ensure that Wales is not disadvantaged, payments remain with active farmers and that there is a long transitional period to enable people to adapt to the change. We have already flagged this up with both the European Commission and the Welsh Assembly Government. We shall also be looking for a genuine simplification of the CAP regime so that we get the opportunity to manage and farm the land and not the paper associated with it.
"The communication does highlight that whilst CAP support should be made more equitable and balanced between member states and farmers a single flat rate payment across Europe is not a feasible solution. We believe that this is a correct assumption to make as the economy, the value of currency and production potential vary enormously across the European Union and indeed within member states and devolved regions."
Mr Bailey continued, "The communication places food security and the need to preserve food production potential as a key priority, it also highlights the need for a simplification of cross compliance rules. However when the paper discusses how this could be achieved in practice, through potential reform paths, it appears to only complicate and increase the conditions associated with receiving the single farm payment by suggesting the possibility of enhancing certain elements of Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) standards.
"We’re at the beginning of a long journey with a political deal some two years away and with the size and distribution of the EU budget still to be resolved. Inevitably the final outcome will be one of compromise between the ministers of the various member states and may bear little resemblance to the broad outline issued today."
