EU farm policy reform plans as voted by the Agriculture Committee

15-2-2013 — /europawire.eu/ — Agriculture Committee MEPs set out their position on EU farm policy reform in texts voted on Wednesday and Thursday, after more than a year’s debates with farmers, cooperatives, EU agriculture ministers, MPs, experts and academics. This position will pave the way for negotiations with EU member states.

This background details the committee’s position on:

• who should get EU-funded direct payments and how they can be more fairly distributed both among and within member states,
• the measures that farmers should take to protect the environment better,
• how best to help young farmers, small farmers, and those in areas with natural constraints,
• how to strengthen farmers’ price bargaining position, and
• how to improve spending controls while cutting red tape

NB: “direct payments” are payments granted directly to farmers under certain support schemes, such as the current Single Payment Scheme and the Single Area Payment Scheme.

These payments provide farmers with a safety net in the form of a basic income support, decoupled from production, to stabilise their income from sales on the markets, which are subject to volatility. Direct payments also help to provide basic public goods delivered through sustainable farming.

Contacts

Ján JAKUBOV
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Telephone number(+33) 3 881 73840 (STR)
Mobile number(+32) 498 98 35 90
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