‘Greener CAP must not hit food production’
Forcing farmers to undertake additional environmental measures in return for full subsidy payments must not be at the expense of food production, an expert has warned.
A “greener” CAP was inevitable given the challenges faced by the natural environment, said Alan Matthews, professor emeritus of European agricultural policy. But any trade-off with food production should be minimised, he told MEPs on Monday (19 March).
EU plans requiring farmers to place 7% of farmland in designated ecological focus areas (EFAs) were most likely to be environmentally beneficial.
But the desired benefits might be achieved by establishing EFAs only on less productive land, rather than an EU-wide approach.
Professor Matthews raised doubts about other planned mandatory “green” measures. Proposals requiring farmers to grow at least three crops and banning the ploughing up of permanent pasture would only be environmentally beneficial if targeted at areas of high natural value, he suggested.
But exempting farmers already in agri-environmental schemes from the mandatory greening element of CAP reform – as Brussels has already proposed for the organic sector – could see the European Union fall foul of World Trade Organisation rules.
The warning came as European farm ministers gathered in Brussels for the latest round of CAP reform talks.
A growing feeling is emerging among northern European countries that reform must be more flexible.
Member states including the UK want more say in the way greening is implemented.
They favour a system enabling individual member states to select from a menu of “green” options that would then be implemented by farmers in those countries.
DEFRA believed such an approach would be simpler and more effective, delivering the best environmental benefits in each member state. A similar system was mooted at last month’s NFU conference by Paolo de Castro, chairman of the European Parliament’s agriculture committee.
Farm minister Jim Paice said the reformed CAP needed to be made simpler.
Simplification should run through the entire set of reforms, rather than a separate item that lay outside the proposals as a whole. As things stand, he added: “We are not heading for a simpler CAP.”
The group of northern European countries are expected to table their alternative greening proposals within the 4-6 weeks – possibly in time for the next farm council meeting, which is due to take place in Luxembourg on 26-27 April.
European farm commissioner Dacian Ciolos said: “What the commission is expecting from member states now would be practical and tangible suggestions for simplifications having analysed what has already been proposed.”
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