The NFU has responded on behalf of members to the Defra consultation on the future CAP.
The NFU believed from the outset that the European Commission’s proposals to reform the CAP post 2014 were a missed opportunity and we went as far as to describe the package as a “dog’s breakfast”. This round of reform is contrary to progress made in previous CAP reforms, particularly around some of the greening elements.
Having implemented a direct payments system that instils farmers to respond to the market, the EU has now agreed policy measures which will impact cropping decisions and require productive farmland to be taken out of production regardless of market signals. It is imperative that Defra does not exacerbate this by implementing the package of measures in a manner which creates additional cost, burden or restrictions on production.
Read the NFU CAP submission to Defra consultation (Nov 2013)
A major area of concern for NFU members is the Government’s proposals to transfer the maximum 15 per cent from direct payments to rural development. The NFU has used Defra’s own figures that confirm that a transfer rate of 9 per cent would be sufficient to cover commitments and fund an additional £1billion new projects under the next rural development programme. The NFU believes that that £1billion should be spent on measure that will directly benefit farmers and the environment and sets out a proposal to government to do this.
The full submission runs to 47 pages in length and covers the NFU position in depth and provides the evidence based necessary to underpin our arguments. A short summary is also available for members which picks up the key findings in the response.