The first talks on how the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post-2020 will look took place this week.
While some may still be hoping for a mid-term review of the present CAP, the prospect is diminishing, with the European Commission determined to press ahead with preparation of the next CAP, which is due in 2020.
A white paper is expected to be presented by the EU agriculture commissioner in the second quarter next year, but in the meantime interested parties are putting down markers as to what shape they think it should be.
On Tuesday, the EU parliament’s Agriculture and Rural Development Committee (Comm Agri) held a workshop during its two-day meeting at which experts presented their views on how a post-2020 cap might look.
This week’s workshop was addressed by Professor Emeritus Alan Matthews from Trinity college, Professor Emeritus Louis-Paschal Mahe from France and Thomas Dax from Austria.
Professor Matthews was forceful in his thinking that the two-pillar model with direct, uncoupled payments had outlived its usefulness and could not justify support payments in the fertile areas of Europe, though disadvantaged area payments could be supported.
He argued that using a sectoral policy (agriculture) was not an EU resource-efficient way to address farmer income deficiency.
He went on to say farmers should be supported for going beyond statutory requirements in a new model, not just being in compliance with them, with a requirement to enrol in a basic agri-environmental scheme, co-funded by EU and member state as the way forward.
He concluded by calling the present arrangement neither effective , efficient nor equitable.
Editorial: voice of Irish farmers must be heard in preparations for CAP 2020