Dairy UK says CAP reform shows progress

Commenting on the Communication on CAP Reform, published yesterday, Dairy UK Policy Director Peter Dawson welcomed the Commission’s recognition of the need to address efficiency, productivity and competitiveness.

"The document is a major improvement on the previous version" said Dawson "in that it acknowledges the need to address efficiency, productivity, competitiveness and so forth. However, we still have a reservation as to whether this recognition has been reflected in effective policy recommendations."

"For example, the proposals still seem to be heavily skewed towards meeting social and landscape management objectives, which are necessary concerns, but European agriculture will be extremely vulnerable if the issue of competitiveness is not tackled. In particular, the proposal to discriminate against larger farmers in the distribution of the single farm payment would seem to run counter to the pursuit of efficiency."

Dawson also pointed out that the Communication leaves a number of the big questions unanswered, such as how the single farm payment will be redistributed between member states. "We need to ensure that UK agriculture, and dairy farmers in particular, are not unfairly discriminated against in this process" he said, adding that "the proposals for restructuring the single farm payment appear excessively complex."

Summarising, Mr Dawson said: ’It’s welcome that the Commission thinking is showing recognition of economic challenges. The debate still has a long way to go and Dairy UK will continue to lobby the Commission to deliver the right outcome for the UK dairy sector."