The European Parliament’s draft report on the future of the CAP is an encouraging step towards progressive reform of the CAP, says the NFU.
The report, written by German MEP Albert Dess, is the first formal response to the European Commission’s communication on how to reform the CAP after 2013.
The Commission has proposed that controversial greening measures should be a mandatory component of direct payments but Mr Dess favours delivering environmental improvements through the second pillar of the CAP. This could reinforce rather than damage participation in agri-environment schemes under which almost 70 per cent of English agricultural land is managed.
NFU Director of Policy Martin Haworth said the Dess report, which also reinforces the Commission’s desire to promote a strong common European agricultural policy, appeared to present a pragmatic alternative approach to reform that could help tackle the big issues facing farmers.
"The UK Government’s recently published Foresight Report on global food and farming was clear when it called on governments to take urgent and co-ordinated action to avert disruption to our food markets on a catastrophic scale," said Mr Haworth.
"In this context we need a clear and simple CAP that will encourage increased food production in a sustainable way, helping farmers to become more competitive, and their businesses to preserve natural resources.
"The Dess report argues in favour of market orientation and promotes further decoupling and more harmonised delivery of payments. This is an important first step for the next reform to bring about a more level playing field. It also places an emphasis on simplification. In particular, the report advocates ’greening’ via pillar two of the CAP thereby reinforcing the role of the UK’s agri-environment schemes that are funded under rural development programmes.
"Now that the Parliament has co-decision powers on the CAP it has a vital role to play in developing farming policy. This report will be seen by some as controversial and though it is not perfect, it appears to represent a sensible way forward. I would therefore encourage UK MEPs to consider the pros and cons of the report over the weeks ahead," he said.
Next week NFU Deputy President Meurig Raymond will meet key MEPs in Strasbourg to push for a strong CAP that enables farmers to successfully manage the challenges ahead.