The “moderate” reduction in agricultural funding for the period 2021-2027, proposed on 2 May, has given rise to indignation within the circles concerned (see EUROPE 12013).
France’s agriculture minister deplored the fact that there was a “drastic, massive and blind cut” and “unacceptable measures” affecting the farm sector. The EU’s agricultural cooperatives and organisations (Copa-Cogeca) have expressed their “great disappointment”. They had argued against any reduction in CAP spending in real terms.
Czeslaw Adam Siekierski (EPP, Poland), who chairs Parliament's agriculture committee, considered the cuts envisaged “out of proportion”.
The young farmers (CEJA) have expressed disappointment, as have the organisation of agricultural, rural and forestry contractors (CEETTAR).
Luca Jahier, who chairs the European Economic and Social Committee, is opposed to the obligation to “choose between more recent and older priorities”. The president of the Committee of the Regions, Karl-Heinz Lambertz, stressed that “the rural development pillar could be reduced by nearly 15%”.
The European Environment Bureau (EEB) criticised the budgetary proposal which “defends the status quo where billions are paid for payments that support an environmentally destructive agricultural model”.
Phil Hogan, Agriculture Commissioner, took the view that the reduction (a 5% cut) would be “very fair for farmers”, given the gap of €12 billion that Brexit will leave in the budget, and the other EU priorities to be covered (migration, defence).
Direct payments will be reduced by a maximum of 3.9%, he promised. Also, at an individual level, with the compulsory capping of aid at €60,000 and the redistributive payments, “the impact of these cuts will be less for small and medium sized farms”.
In addition, for countries whose payments are below the Community average, a proposal will be made to reduce the gap by 90% under external convergence, an operation that will be financed by all member states and which will, for those benefitting from the payments, be an increase or a smaller reduction of direct aid. National envelopes will fall by 3.9% in 16 member states, to a lesser extent in six other member states, and will increase in five states. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)