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A draft version of the committee's response to European Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan's plans for CAP after 2020 questions his core proposal that Europe should set broad rules while individual countries will have more freedom to run farm schemes.
The document seen by the Irish Farmers Journal "welcomes the intention to simplify and modernise the CAP, but emphasises that the integrity of the single market and a truly common policy must be the overriding priorities of reform". If adopted in its current form, the MEPs' resolution would point out that "even the flexibility that member states currently enjoy in defining basic rules may risk distorting competition within the single market and granting unequal access to support for farmers". It calls for a strong "common set of rules and tools agreed at EU level" to run the next CAP.
This will be necessary to ensure "a level playing field" between farmers, the text adds.
The Committee's draft report on the future of food and farming also calls for a higher level of support rate for small farms. The option of coupled payments and support for disadvantaged areas should be maintained, according to MEPs.
Manage supply
At times of market crisis, the draft resolution "calls on the Commission to allow and indeed encourage – particularly in the dairy sector – active crisis management instruments, such as voluntary sector agreements to manage supply in quantitative terms among producers, producer organisations and processors".
This would replicate the competition derogation given to dairy farmers and processors to agree supply reduction measures during the 2015-2016 milk price crash. This was used in countries such as the Netherlands, in addition to EU measures to curb production. MEPs would like to see this option extended to other sectors.
As reported on Friday, they are also calling for the radical abolition of BPS entitlements.
Transition period
They acknowledge that such changes would require a transition period to allow farmers and administrations to adapt and avoid payment delays. They also express doubt that the new CAP can be agreed in time for next year's European Elections.
The author of the draft report is Italian MEP Herbert Dorfmann from the majority EPP group, which includes Fine Gael. The text has yet to be finalised, with numerous amendments proposed by committee members. They include an amendment by Irish Sinn Féin MEP Matt Carthy to cap all payments to €50,000/farm across the EU.
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