Plans under this round of CAP reforms to green single farm payments risk pushing down farm incomes and pushing up food prices, the NFU has warned MEPs.
NFU deputy president Meurig Raymond has told the MEPs in charge of amending the Commission’s CAP proposals that greening measures which hammer production and harm farm competitiveness must be avoided.
During a meeting in Strasbourg with agriculture committee chairman Paolo De Castro and lead rapporteur on CAP, Portuguese MEP Luis Manuel Capoulas Santos, Mr Raymond said the policy must recognise the greening efforts already underway on British farms.
“The Commission’s Impact Assessment indicated greening will result in a 4.8% in farm incomes and could push food prices higher through supply-side pressures. This is unacceptable, but the problems don’t stop there,” he said.
“We fear greening could also undermine the Commission’s environmental goals by discouraging farmers from entering into environmental schemes in Pillar 2. Currently 68% of English farmland is managed in optional agri-environment schemes.
“We are encouraging MEPs to recognise the efforts that many farmers are already making in delivering environmental benefits through the CAP. If Pillar 1 greening measures cannot be deleted from the text, we have told MEPs they must be common at a European level, maintain our productive capacity and minimise cost and bureaucracy.”
The NFU believes that it is a crucial time to lobby MEPs.
Over the next six months MEPs will look at amendments to the proposals which the union hopes will improve key areas of the regulation such as on greening.
“This is our chance to inject some common sense into CAP reform,” said Mr Raymond.