Come Wednesday morning on 30 June, a CAP reform that has taken over three years to complete could be in the bag, or farmers could face another six months of uncertainty.

Talks at the end of May proved to be a false dawn, but negotiators will meet again this Thursday and Friday for two intense days of technical discussions in a bid to bridge the remaining gaps.

Among the outstanding issues are the total budget for eco schemes, the level of payment convergence, and whether top-up payments for small farmers will be mandatory.

If the Portuguese presidency of the European Council can come to a compromise with MEPs in the European Parliament, the likelihood of a deal increases substantially.

Compromise deal

However, Minister Maria do Céu Antunes will immediately face a meeting with agriculture ministers from across the EU on 28 and 29 June in Luxembourg to sell her compromise deal.

If ministers are not happy with the proposals that are on the table, then a deal, and the certainty it brings for farmers, will be back on the rocks.

While the new CAP will not come into effect until January 2023 there is a substantial amount of ground work that must be completed first.

Each member state is expected to design its own CAP strategic plan which will set out how CAP funds will be spent.

These plans must be submitted to the European Commission for approval by the end of 2021 and they cannot be progressed without a settled legislative file.