Latest Releases » Commission’s official paper on CAP reform ‘stays on track’ says CLA » Country Land & Business Association: "The CLA said today (Thursday, 18 November 2010) that the European Commission's official paper on the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) remains on broadly the right track.
The Association, which has been arguing for the protection of a fully funded CAP to provide Food and Environmental Security, said the Commission's paper has found the middle-ground between the extremes of "no change" and the drastic withdrawal of all Pillar 1 support.
CLA President William Worsley said that the "entire European Commission has now endorsed the ideas to reform the CAP", as outlined in the paper leaked last month.
Mr Worsley said: "The thrust of the paper is to rebalance support more in the direction of paying for environmental services, for which there are no markets, and securing the future of farming in the more marginal extensive grazing areas.
"Critically, the paper suggests doing this by adapting Pillar 1. The CLA believes this is the correct direction because there was no support for the alternative of shifting more funds into the co-financed Pillar 2."
The CLA President added that there are important aspects of the paper with which the CLA disagreed.
These include: payment capping, restriction of supports to a narrowly defined concept of "active farmers", reluctance to consider multi-annual payments in Pillar 1, and suggestions to allow more scope for some member states to use voluntary top-ups which could distort markets. There is also a lack of clarity about achieving more objectively defined shares of the Pillar 2 resources.
Mr Worsley added: "This paper will unleash intensive discussions about whether, and how, these ideas can be implemented practicably. The CLA aims to remain in the forefront of this debate."
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