All Ashton KCJ rural clients will be affected by the proposals to change the Common Agricultural Policy (“the CAP”).  The Ashton KCJ rural team has been watching the latest developments with interest.

On 19th and 20th July 2010, a conference was held in Brussels entitled “The CAP post 2013”.
The aim of the conference was to bring together the public debate contributions received (in excess of 5,700 contributions) and also for MEPs to hear panel discussions from leading experts, stakeholders, representatives of food chains and farming institutions.

The farming world should hear in late autumn the results of the debate, when the European Commission publishes its official communication at the end of November / early December.

At the July conference, the speakers included NFU, Bird Life International, Assured Food Standards UK, and the Policy Director of the CLA. 

The public debate centred around four main topics:

1.    Why do we need the CAP?

2.    What are society’s objectives for agriculture in all its diversities?

3.    Why should we reform the CAP?

4.    How can we make it meet society’s expectations and what tools do we need for tomorrow’s CAP?

The results, revealed at the conference, concluded that the CAP needs to be made fairer for everyone: farmers and public alike. But this would not be easy, and the fear is that the policy could be less about supporting agriculture and more about the wider environment.

We will await the outcome of the discussions and the resulting EC communication at the end of this year with interest.  For more information, please check our website from time to time, as we expect informal details will come before the official communication. 

This article is for general information purposes only and does not constitute legal or other professional advice. You should not act or rely upon this information.

Author: Jeanette Dennis, Agricultural Solicitor

Date: August 2010