The EU Agriculture Ministers will be meeting in Luxembourg on Monday 27 April to discuss the proposals for the post-2027 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) once again.
The debate will focus more specifically on the arrangements for income support for farmers over the period 2028-2034.
The European Commission’s proposal provides for the introduction of degressive area-based income support, greatly simplified (end of entitlements), based on payments calculated on the basis of eligible hectares. This aid would incorporate a degressive mechanism designed to gradually reduce the amounts paid to large farms and encourage a more balanced distribution of support. In addition, payments would be capped at €100,000 per farm per year, according to a note from the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU (https://aeur.eu/f/lp3 ).
Aid would also be modulated on the basis of objective and non-discriminatory criteria, in particular according to farmers’ income. The proposal also provides for greater targeting on certain groups, such as young farmers, the possible exclusion of farmers reaching retirement age after a transitional period up to 2032, and the introduction of minimum and maximum levels of average aid per hectare.
Many Ministers are expected to oppose the mandatory degressivity and capping of aid (see EUROPE 13849/12).
Market situation. The Agriculture Ministers will also examine the market situation, particularly following the invasion of Ukraine.
The ‘Agriculture’ Council will also debate the role of agriculture and forestry management in preventing forest fires and building resilience. The Commission will present its new strategy in this area (see EUROPE13836/6).
In a ‘miscellaneous’ item, Latvia and Finland will be asking the European Union to recognise the strategic role of peat, a resource considered to be technically irreplaceable in horticulture, the production of forestry plants, and soil improvement. According to the two governments, peat contributes to the adaptation of forests to climate change and to the objectives of the CAP and European forestry policy. Helsinki and Riga are calling for a gradual, science-based approach that takes account of national socio-economic impacts. Both countries believe that the use of peat cannot be reduced without sustainable, functionally equivalent, and economically viable alternatives, which are not yet sufficiently available.
The two Member States are asking the European Commission to step up cooperation on research and innovation, and to better harmonise scientific methods. Finally, they are calling for more robust methods of accounting for emissions from organic soils, taking into account Member State differences.
See the note from these countries: https://aeur.eu/f/lo8
Finally, Germany will raise the issue of record-keeping requirements for the use of plant protection products. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)