The European Commission is exploring the possibility of ring-fencing a set amount of the CAP budget dedicated to direct payments for environmental and climate actions.

The recommendation was made in an assessment of the ongoing CAP reform and its compatibility with the goals of the recently published Farm to Fork strategy.

The analysis stressed that there could be no backsliding on environmental and climate action taken to date and that there could be no softening of enhanced cross-compliance rules. Eco-schemes were identified as the main vehicle to drive the uptake of actions in the Farm to Fork strategy.

Among them is a reduction in use of pesticides, fertilisers and antibiotics and an increase in the area of land farmed organically and set aside for landscape features.

Eco-schemes

Eco-schemes are set to be introduced in the next CAP reform and will replace Greening measures, which will be absorbed into cross-compliance.

Under the present Commission proposal, it will be mandatory for member states to offer eco-schemes to farmers, for whom participation will be optional.

Each government is expected to produce a strategic plan

However, up to now the Commission has not specified what percentage of funds from the direct payments pot should be set aside for them.

A senior Commission official believed these schemes could achieve “a quantum leap” in the adoption of sustainable farming practices.

Along with the introduction of eco-schemes, the next CAP will hand more control to member states. Each government is expected to produce a strategic plan. These plans will be required to contain specific reference as to how countries will achieve the goals of the Farm to Fork strategy.

CAP

During a press briefing on Monday, European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety Stella Kyriakides, who is leading the strategy, stressed the CAP would be the key tool to support farmers in achieving its goals.

At the same briefing, European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski said the next CAP had to help farmers take up alternative practices such as precision agriculture, agroforestry and organic farming.

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Proposal to ring-fence direct payment funds for 'eco-schemes'

Eco-schemes are to be introduced under the next CAP and they will form a key part of delivering targets set by the European Commission in its Farm to Fork strategy.