Following the decisions of the European Council (8th February ’13 – see News section), the vote in the European Parliament (13th March ’13) and the Farm Council (19th March ’13), the outlines of the final CAP reform are beginning to emerge from the fog.
In October 2011, the Commission published legislative proposals for the CAP after 2013. While many commentators are underwhelmed by the nature of the proposals, some aspects have real and potentially damaging implications for some UK farmers (see “Commission publish CAP reform proposals”).
Eurinco aims to ensure that our clients do not discover something in 2014 which they might have done something about in 2012. See “CAP reform” section of this site for updates on the discussions as they occur.
Responding to future policy developments in Brussels might involve minor changes to the business structure, or briefing MEPs and Commission officials, suggesting alternative ways of meeting the same objectives (see ‘brokering solutions’ below).
But the first step must be to assess the likely changes and their impact on your particular business or those of your clients.
Eurinco can help farmers and land managers respond to these and other policy challenges and derive new sources of income from meeting them.
Eurinco offers you and your clients the benefit long-standing expertise in anticipating and assessing policy changes at a European level, a good working relationship with Commission officials and members of the European Parliament, and a deep understanding of the way farming and estate management operate in UK (see ‘ About us’).
A summary of the main proposals as published on 12th October is available on application (email peter.fane@eurinco.eu). These briefings are regularly updated to take account of more recent negotiations in the Council of Farm Ministers and developments in the European Parliament.
The original Commission proposals have now been amended by the European Council decisions of 8th February ’13, and by the amendments passed in the Agriculture and Rural Development committee of the European Parliament. All these changes, and the decisions on the long-term EU budget (MFF, or multi-annual financial framework) are still subject to the agreement of the full Parliament, meeting in plenary session.
The discussion about the future CAP is not only crucial for farmers but for all European citizens, since it deals with the challenge of food security, Paolo De Castro said as negotiations start on a new EU farm policy for 2014-2020.
The “greening element” in the European Commission proposal for CAP reform, particularly the setting aside of 7% of farmed land for ecological purposes, could lead to more bureaucracy, which would be an additional burden for EU farmers. The proposed measures would “keep production down instead of promoting it”.