European countries face a long road ahead before striking a satisfactory deal on CAP reform, farm minister Jim Paice has warned.
“About the only thing that unites all 27 member states is that none of us are very happy with the proposals at present,” Mr Paice told Farmers Weekly.
“We all think they are far too complicated and they are not moving in the direction of simplification.”
In the meantime, Mr Paice said the government was working with other countries to support measures that moved the industry forward.
But agreement was likely to take longer than expected.
The proposals had been designed to appeal to everyone, suggested Mr Paice, with the result that nobody actually liked them.
What was needed was a clear set of European rules with enough flexibility to suit different types of farming in different countries.
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