The second EU Budget Focused on Results Conference was held this week in Brussels. Officially, it is an opportunity for the EU to demonstrate how the EU budget is delivering value for money across the community in an open and transparent manner. The secondary agenda is that it presents an opportunity for lobbyists who feel they should be getting more to present their case. With agriculture accounting for just under half the total EU budget, EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan is always very much in the spotlight on such occasions.

Hogan was robust in defence of the CAP, highlighting that it had provided food security for Europe for the past 50 years with farmers our boots on the ground, not just producing but creating the basis of the rural economy and maintaining the countryside for the entire population to enjoy. Tapping into president Junker’s agenda to drive investment and job creation following the economic crisis, he drew attention to the fact agriculture employs 44 million people across Europe. The commissioner went on to say “estimates show that every €1bn of exports generates 14,000 jobs for our people. Given that EU agri-food exports increased by 5.7% in 2015, we can say with confidence that we are keeping jobs in rural areas.”

Mindful of the environmental concerns of many in the audience, Commissioner Hogan accepted that the CAP is about more than supporting farmers and production and highlighted that it has helped to reduce GHG emissions from agriculture by 23% since 1990 and has contributed to a reduction of 17.7 % when it comes to nitrates in rivers since 1992.

However, the occasion wasn’t a ringing endorsement of the CAP and indeed its longevity is in itself something of a hindrance at a time of budgetary pressure, which will worsen when the UK leaves the EU. Commission vice-president Kristalina Georgieva was challenging agriculture on whether the reformed CAP was delivering added value and if the new environmental, or greening measures as they are commonly known, are working. The regional policy element of the budget also came under particular focus.

Informed commentators are seeing this event as the opening salvo in discussions on shaping the next CAP 2020, even though work doesn’t begin on it until next year. It is no secret that environmental and animal welfare NGOs weren’t happy with how the present CAP finished up and they have made it clear that they won’t accept similar next time round. Indeed, there are many that would encourage a mid-term review or health check of the CAP which reaches its mid-point at the turn of the year. It is the concern of many associated with agriculture that any reopening of the present CAP wouldn’t necessarily create a better deal for EU farmers with a chance that it could be worse.