Farming leaders throughout the EU call for win win solutions for CAP Reform

Win win solutions that will enable farmers to contribute to a better environment but which will have a positive impact on their productivity and profitability and enable them to maintain production and face the challenge of climate change. These were called for by representatives of farming organisations throughout the 27 EU Member States when they met recently at a meeting of the COPA-COGECA praesidium in Brussels.

Ed Bailey, President of NFU Cymru, who was representing Welsh interests at the meeting said, ’We discussed our preliminary reaction to the EC’s legislative proposals and I am pleased that there is support at praesidium for those, such as Wales, applying historic payments to have more flexibility and time to offset the adverse effects that a move to an area payment system might have on individual farms. In particular there is recognition of NFU Cymru’s position that changes should be gradual over the whole period and not front loaded and that Member States should have the discretion on the basis of objective criteria to differentiate payments to reflect differences such as land type.

’There is a very broad measure of agreement too on greening with a clear and agreed mandate that measures should integrate environmental protection and the production process in a way that contributes to efficiency and productivity. There was opposition to 30% of the basic payment being set aside for greening, and the proposed 7% ecological focus areas and to the EC’s cropping proposals as currently tabled.’

Ed Bailey continued, ’It is important to establish a shared agenda and areas of agreement with the farming unions across Member States of the EU so that co-ordinated and concerted arguments can be presented to the European Commission, the European Parliament and to the Council of Agriculture Ministers. Consensus is important across Member States if we are to secure changes to the EC proposed legislative texts. NFU Cymru will continue to seek to influence discussions of COPA during the long and protracted negotiating process that we envisage.’

Ed Bailey as President of NFU Cymru, also chaired a meeting of the four UK farming presidents representing the NFU, NFU Scotland and the Ulster Farmers’ Union, prior to the meeting of COPA praesidium with a view to establishing an agreed UK position on key facets of the CAP reform proposals.