As 26 conservation organisations launch a ‘State of Nature Report for England’ urging that more money should go into protecting the environment, NFU chief environment adviser Diane Mitchell argues that CAP must allow farmers to produce more food for a growing population.
She writes:
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The Common Agriculture Policy plays an important role in addressing environmental concerns. But let’s remember that farmers’ primary role is producing and growing food.
The CAP helps farmers meet the demands of a growing domestic population, maintain our productive capacity across the EU and provide a much-needed buffer against market volatility.
... it’s premature to call for the increased transfer of monies from Pillar I to Pillar II.
We agree that we need to look at smarter ways in which we reward those who protect and enhance our countryside and environment. However, it’s premature to call for the increased transfer of monies from Pillar I to Pillar II. First we must fully assess the uptake of the new agri-environment scheme. Any additional movement of monies would certainly put English farmers at a competitive disadvantage to farmers in other EU countries.
The NFU believes that voluntary action by farmers is a more effective way of meeting specific challenges. For this reason the agricultural sector has committed to promoting action that will encourage pollinators and improve water quality. For example, figures from a recent NFU member survey show that over 60 per cent are taking action to benefit the environment outside of agri-environment schemes and in support of the Campaign for the Farmed Environment.
The NFU recognises the important role of the new Countryside Stewardship scheme in enabling farmers to continue to maintain and enhance biodiversity, water resources and soils and address future challenges such as climate change. Many of our members feel very let down by the complicated scheme we now have to work with. Defra and its delivery agencies must listen to the feedback from farmers on the ground and act quickly on the lessons learnt from this year's application process.
Farmers have always been passionate about protecting the countryside and we would all like this involvement and enthusiasm to continue.