The Defra secretary of state called for simpler and fewer farm inspections plus an overhaul of greening requirements.
In response, NFU President Meurig Raymond said: “It’s re-assuring that the government has listened to the NFU and the burden our members face in the implementation of the latest new CAP schemes. There is no doubt that the latest reform has left what was a complex policy even more complicated. Fairness and simplification have been lost from the CAP.
“The NFU has lobbied government on these points and has joined forces with a number of leading EU farm organisations to identify shared areas of concern. We have written directly to Commissioner Hogan, highlighting a list of ten proposals we want to see included in proposals to simplify the CAP. I’m pleased that the UK government has incorporated many of these specific points in its position.
“The ball is firmly in Commissioner Hogan’s court to respond with meaningful changes to the legislation. We want to be able to look back in years to come to genuinely say that things did get simpler and fairer for farmers as a result of the efforts in 2015.”