Government consultation on farm reform extended

The government consultation on how best to implement reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) agreement has been extended until 24 October.

The consultation - originally ending on 10th October - seeks views on a number of key issues following the CAP reform agreement of 26 June.

These include:

- How to use up to ten per cent of payments within a national

envelope to pay for farming which protects or enhances the

environment or to improve the quality and marketing of agricultural

produce. The government is minded to make use of this in England.

- Whether to apply the single payment on a flat-rate basis either to

all farmland or to arable and pastureland at different rates. This

would extend cross-compliance to more land but introduce a

considerable redistribution of aid within the industry.

- Which flexibilities on set-aside to adopt including those on

rotational set-aside, strip width, growing non-food crops and

energy crops.

- Whether to make immediate use of some new measures added to the

Rural Development Regulation, such as funding local strategic

partnerships.

The extension will allow comments to be received following new EU information on the single payment as it applies to growers of fruit, vegetables and potatoes.

Defra is now writing to farmers to explain the changes in detail.

For further information on the changes and copies of the consultation document see www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/capreformthree/index.htm