Brussels, 07/01/2015 (Agence Europe) - At an agriculture conference in Oxford, European Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan spelt out for British farmers the value of the common agricultural policy (CAP) and confirmed that he would continue simplification efforts.
In his speech in Oxford, Hogan made clear that he did not want to make any comments on the forthcoming referendum on the United Kingdom's continued membership of the EU. He highlighted, however, that the CAP had been extensively reformed over recent years and that it had become more liberal, more flexible, and more focused on trade on the global marketplace.
Turning to simplification of CAP rules, Hogan acknowledged that the greening measures introduced in the last round of CAP reform “are not universally popular”. He therefore highlighted recent initiatives: - increased flexibility in mapping requirements for ecological focus areas (EFAs); - extension of the deadline for the aid applications; - more flexibility on eligibility conditions for voluntary coupled support.
The Commission has also brought in practical improvements: - reducing the number of on-the-spot checks through better sampling methods; - an increased level of preventive preliminary cross checks; - the possibility of modifying parcel declarations for greening after submission.
For the next round of simplification, the commissioner promised that 200 existing EU regulations would be reduced to 40 or 50, “cutting red tape for farmers, operators and national administrations alike”. Commissioner Hogan also spoke about world trade, opining that a comprehensive, balanced agreement with the US on the TTIP would help the UK economy. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)