WIREDGOV

The provisional political agreement reached recently (25 June 2021) by the European Parliament and Council on the new Common Agricultural Policy introduces a fairer, greener, more animal friendly and flexible CAP. Higher environmental and climate ambitions, aligned with Green Deal objectives, are to be implemented from January 2023. The new CAP will also ensure a fairer distribution of CAP support, especially to small and medium-sized family farms and young farmers.

Based on simpler rules set up at EU level, each Member State will prepare a strategic plan to implement the policy over the next five years. This will allow them to take local conditions into account and to focus on performance.

Executive Vice-President Timmermans recently said:

“Throughout the negotiations, the Commission has worked for a new Common Agricultural Policy that can support the Green Deal. The agreement reached today marks the start of a real shift in how we practice agriculture in Europe. In the next years, we will protect wet- and peatlands, dedicate more farmland to biodiversity, boost organic farming, open up new income sources for farmers via carbon farming, and begin to redress inequalities in the distribution of income support.” 

Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski recently said:

“I am glad that we have reached a political agreement on a new CAP in time for its implementation by the beginning of 2023. The new CAP combines higher environmental, climate and animal welfare ambitions with a fairer distribution of payments, especially to small and medium-sized family farms as well as young farmers. I now count on Member States to develop ambitious CAP strategic plans that are in line with our objectives, and that will provide the right tools to support our farmers in the transition to a sustainable food system.”

Click here for the full press release