CAP reform proposals “weak”

Sunday January 26, 2003 22:51

by tomboy from the IFA - (PD member)

Environmentalist groups have condemned new proposals from the European Commission aimed at reforming the wasteful and destructive EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

A spokesperson for Friends of the Earth said that the group was very disappointed. “European citizens have made clear that they want something in return for the 45 billion Euro that is being channelled into agriculture every year, but the Commission is unwilling to propose real reform. The new goals of the CAP should be quality food, sustainable farming, localisation and local diversity.”

Agriculture Commissioner Franz Fischler’s scheme fails to channel significant funds into the so-called second pillar of CAP, which aids rurla development. In his original proposal he intended to channel 20% of first pillar money to Rural Development. Now only 6% will be transferred to the second pillar, and that transfer will start only in 2006 instead of 2004. On top of that, “agri-environmental” measures, which seek to undo some of the CAP’s damage, will now receive lower priority, bad news for the many farmers that want to do something about the high-input practices forced on them by the CAP rules.

FoE and other environmentalists would like all CAP payments to be conditional on strict environmental, animal welfare and food safety standards. But the Commission intends to make payments conditional on only part of current EU law. Not all of EU environmental legislation is even included. “Cross compliance should at least include compliance with existing laws and should aim to encourage even higher standards (e.g. reducing pesticide use),” the spokesperson added.

With most subsidies going to those who least need them, Commissioner Fischler originally intended to put a 300.000 ceiling per farm on CAP payments. This was already an excessively high amount, but now the new proposal fails to set any ceiling at all. Clearly, and unsurprisingly, the European Commission has given in to pressure from the big farmers. Export subsidies, in addition, which encourage overproduction in Europe whilst undermining the markets for food grown by poor Third World farmers, continue untouched.

Go to http://www.choosefoodchoosefarming.org to read more about FoE’s CAP campaign.