Flexible regional approach to greening proposals
Greening proposals put forward as part of Common Agricultural Policy reform could be adopted through flexible regional initiatives.
Speaking to Scottish farming industry representatives at a Q&A session in Edinburgh yesterday (20 September), European agriculture commissioner Dacion Ciolos said his key mission was to find a “key, balanced system” for greening.
He said Scottish farmers would find the proposals much easier to implement than farmers in intensive regions in other member states.
“We already propose a system with three measures of greening – an important step ahead is to take into account observations coming from the regions and from farmers,” he said.
He understood the importance of permanent grassland and that was why it had been proposed as one of the measures for greening, while temporary grassland for up to eight years could be included as one of three crops in rotation.
In response to concerns from a pig producer that the current three-crop rotation proposal would push arable land out of production, he said: “We want long-term arable production, that’s why we propose crop diversification. Monoculture is bad in the long term.”
Responding to concerns that farmers in Less Favoured Areas would be disadvantaged by the greening proposals, Mr Ciolos said current LFA schemes would continue.
They would remain in pillar two and the commission would continue with its LFASS mapping exercise, he added. In addition, member states would be able to redefine the regimes for payments and the level of those payments.
Other areas of CAP reform discussed included a suggestion that farmers could work together and deliver the 7% environmental focus area requirement together – this could include current ineligible land such as woodland.
After the Q&A session NFU Scotland chairman Nigel Miller said: “We believe there is genuine merit in the EU allowing LFASS to roll over in its current form to act as an anchor to help stabilise businesses while their single farm payment undergoes significant change. We hope the door is open to pursue this further in Europe.”
Scottish rural affairs secretary Richard Lochhead was unable to attend the session due to First Minister’s Questions, but he met with the commissioner beforehand.
“The commissioner is clearly contemplating a great deal of flexibility with greening proposals, which gives us some comfort, but it’s difficult to pin down how easy it will be to make these changes,” said Mr Lochhead.
“There is still a huge amount of work to do before we have a CAP that is fit for purpose in Scotland.”
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Ciolos hints at CAP reform transitional period
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