Brussels, 04/05/2015 (Agence Europe) - A hearing at the committee on agriculture of the European Parliament on Monday 4 May confirmed the need to simplify the common agriculture policy (CAP).
Udo Hemmerling of COPA-COGECA stressed the problems stemming from the greening measures for the aid under the CAP. “There is the risk that many mistakes will be made due to unfamiliarity with the legislation. It will take patience and time”, he said. He went on to state that the situation was confusing, as many questions have not yet been answered, and that the incorrect decisions which have been made (in the framework of the CAP) must be identified and put right, making changes to the base regulations if necessary. Hemmerling also argued that the control system for active farmers needs to be re-examined and streamlined.
José Miguel Pacheco Gonçalves, of the organisation Via Campesina, pointed out that action can be taken only on the delegated acts and implementing acts. This means that the source of the bureaucracy is not going to disappear overnight if a few technical aspects are changed. He argues that it is above all important to carry out a mid-term reform of the CAP before 2020. This streamlining exercise makes sense only if it comes as part of the mid-term reform of the CAP, Pacheco Gonçalves said. He recommended changes to certain rules related to the directive 'Natura 2000', the framework directive on water (changes to the rules on protecting watercourses in mountainous areas) and on animal welfare (automatic drinking troughs, for instance). Lastly, he believes that crop diversity (in the framework of greening) needs to be demonstrated year round, not just when the annual check takes place.
Albert Dess (EPP, Germany) criticised this “complex reform” and reiterated that a year's transition period would have been desirable, particularly to implement the greening. Martin Häusling (Greens/EFA, Germany) argued that the environmental constraints should not be removed. The responsibility for this complication needs to be taken, he told Dess. (Lionel Changeur)