Phil Hogan, the EU Commissioner for agriculture and rural development, has set out how the implementation of the new-look Common Agricultural Policy will be reviewed.
“While I will robustly defend the importance and value of the CAP, I will listen closely to constructive feedback regarding its implementation,” he told farmers at the NFU’s annual conference.
“I believe that improvement is possible in many areas which is why I have made simplification a top priority for my work programme in 2015.”
He spoke of the need for the new rules to be embedded into British farming businesses in a pragmatic and flexible way, and for greater competitiveness to be at the centre of a simpler policy to govern farming across the EU.
Earlier in the day, Defra Secretary of State Liz Truss said she would like “to see the back of the three-crop rule” which sees some farmers forced to diversify their arable rotations.
Mr Hogan said he would listen closely to European farmer feedback, who he called the custodians of the soil.
“I have outlined a number of areas where our rules can and should be simplified over the next months and years,” he said.
On direct payments, he said he would review the rules on Environmental Focus Areas and any other aspect of the Basic Payment Scheme which would improve the lives of farmers.
He added that more there were more than 200 other European Commission regulations which would be considered.
“This exercise has significant simplification potential for operators in the agri-food sector, which I fully expect UK farmers to exploit to the greatest degree possible.”
But he warned: “Simpler rules will make for greater competitiveness, but achieving simplification will not necessarily be simple.”
