European Commission initiates health check of common agricultural policy

(Biopact) - The European Commission today unveiled its blueprint for streamlining and further modernising the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The so-called 'Health Check' of the CAP, presented by Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel, will build on the approach which began with the 2003 reforms, improve the way the policy operates based on the experience gathered since 2003 and make it fit for the new challenges and opportunities in an EU of 27 Member States in 2007.

The CAP determines, amongst many other things, the amount of subsidies European farmers receive for biofuel feedstock production and how much land will be set-aside.

CAP reform is one of the major causes for political dispute amongst EU member states that are large recipients of farm aid (France, Spain, Germany), and those that aren't. Likewise, given that support has mainly benefited large farmers, their smaller collegues have been advocating a review of the policy.