Brussels, 23/01/2013 (Agence Europe) - After a marathon vote on Wednesday 23 January, the committee on agriculture of the European Parliament took position in favour of a greener and fairer common agriculture policy (CAP), in its adoption of the report by Luis Capoulas Santos (S&D, Portugal) on direct payments to farmers. “The S&D group has managed to get on top of the Conservative amendments and to obtain changes which we feel are essential”, Luis Capoulas Santos commented.
Greening of the CAP. At least 25% of the budget allocated to rural development (second pillar of the CAP) and 30% of direct aid and market expenditure (first pillar) will be given over to organic farming, a greener policy and agro-environmental measures. For the first time, some of the direct payments to farmers will require ecological measures.
Distribution of aid. There is currently a gap of around €300 per hectare between farmers of the different countries of the European Union, with some of them receiving €450 per hectare on average, whilst others get less than €100. The amendments of the committee on agriculture will make it possible for the countries at the lower end of the scale to reduce the gap by almost doubling their aid.
In addition, farms of less than 50 hectares will get additional assistance, which will be taken from the larger beneficiaries.
Upper limits. The committee on agriculture has managed to bring in an upper limit on aid paid to large holdings. The upper limit will be €300,000 per farmer.
There are also plans for 2% of the total CAP budget to go to young and start-up farmers.
Double payment. The European Socialists and Democrats fought in vain against an EPP proposal to use the money from various European programmes to double subsidies to farmers for a single activity. “We feel that this is unfair and goes against the financial regulation of the EU. The S&D group will fight in the plenary session to see this measure removed”.
Farmers with less than 10 hectares, and who must already comply with strict European rules on soil, water and animal welfare, will be exempted from the ecological measures. This means a simplification in red tape for 82% of farmers (those who represent just a very small percentage of total agricultural surface area, just 3.5% for a country such as Germany). (LC/transl.fl)