Czeslaw Adam Siekierski’s re-election as chair of the agriculture and rural development committee will see him retain the role for a further two and a half years.

One of the main priorities for the committee is simplification of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

“In the second half of the term we will be dealing with an extremely important task – a revision of the EU’s multiannual financial framework (MFF), which includes the so-called Omnibus proposal amending some parts of the latest reform of the CAP,” Siekierski said on his re-election.

Another issue for the committee is negotiations on future trade agreements and their impact on the EU farming sector.

“We will also have to continue our work on the new reform of the EU’s farm policy for after 2020,” Siekierski said. “This work must begin with public consultations with farmers, consumers and policy experts to diagnose the current situation. This stocktaking exercise, together with the MFF revision, will lay foundations for the new CAP reform.”

He added that the committee will work with other EU and national institutions, trade unions, farmers and cooperatives and others to design a better CAP for farmers and citizens.

“This agriculture committee will continue to strive to maintain an adequate level of CAP funding to support innovation and global competitiveness of our farmers while ensuring food security in the EU.”

MEPs on the committee also elected Paolo De Castro (Italy), re-elected Zbigniew Kuzmiuk (Poland), Clara Eugenia Aguilera García (Spain) and Viorica Dancila (Romania) as first, second, third and fourth vice-chairs respectively for the second half of the five-year legislature.

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