Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – EU member states and the European Parliament have reached a provisional agreement on an overhaul of the EU’s huge farming subsidies, weakening environmental standards as part of plans to cut back regulations and paperwork for farmers.
As reported by the European Parliament, the provisional arrangement reached by MEPs and the Danish Presidency of the Council will relieve some of the administrative and regulatory obligations on farmers during the current common agricultural policy (CAP) programming course.
Why did the EU decide to relax green farming rules?
MEPs agreed with the Council that farmers certified as organic will automatically meet several requirements. These requirements apply to maintaining land in good agricultural and environmental condition (GAEC) for the parts of their holdings that are organic and in conversion to organic.
The plans exempt smaller farmers from baseline conditions, tying their subsidies to measures to safeguard the environment, while the EU would raise the payments they can receive.
“This will help the agricultural industry grow and become stronger, boosting the sector’s competitiveness across Europe,”
Denmark’s Minister for European Affairs Marie Bjerre said in a statement late on Monday.
How does the EU justify easing environmental obligations for subsidies?
Campaigners argue that the proposed changes could increase farmers’ vulnerability to climate change. The EU Commission introduced these proposals for an overhaul in May after months of protests by farmers, who raised concerns about strict EU regulations and the influx of cheap imports.
In response, the EU institution further relaxed some of the green requirements linked to farming subsidies and expanded these changes in its new proposals for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
The Commission estimates that the reform could save farmers up to 1.6 billion euros each year by reducing on-site inspections to once annually.
The CAP is valued at approximately 387 billion euros, which accounts for about one-third of the EU’s total budget for 2021-2027. The new proposals are part of a series of EU “simplification omnibus” initiatives aimed at reducing policies and paperwork for businesses that are facing stiff competition from China and the U.S., where President Donald Trump is actively cutting regulations.
