Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – EU Council has consented to a set of conclusions on a farmer-focused post-2027 common agricultural policy (CAP), towards a competitive, crisis-proof, sustainable, farmer-friendly and knowledge-based future EU agriculture.
The conclusions approved by the 27 EU agriculture ministers stress the significance of the CAP in reaching those goals and underline the key goals of ensuring food security while ensuring a fair standard of living for the agricultural community, and reasonable costs for consumers.
How will post-2027 CAP reforms benefit EU farmers?
As reported by the EU Council, 27 EU agriculture ministers emphasised the strategic importance of the CAP and its function in ensuring food security and safety. In this context, they stated that dedicated and appropriate resources and instruments are required for the CAP in order to efficiently respond to its multiple purposes and demanded to maintenance of a separate and independent CAP containing two pillars.
How does the CAP ensure food security and fair farmer incomes?
The European Council also recognised that it is necessary to improve the functioning of the food supply chain, and the distribution of value-added and to ensure improved transparency and fair remuneration for farmers. Ministers stressed the importance of farmers’ income stability to maintain economically viable and competitive agricultural actions and food production in all regions of the EU.
What measures aim to simplify CAP reporting for farmers?
The EU’s ministers called for a streamlined and accelerated procedure for supporting and amending the national CAP strategic goals and easing reporting obligations for farmers.
The Council stressed that the monitoring and evaluation system should be more efficient, transparent and simplified, and the control and sanction system must not raise the number of on-the-spot checks.
Moreover, EU agriculture ministers admitted that farmers play a crucial function in the green transition and the CAP should continue to assist the sector in its transition towards more sustainable practices. Ministers stressed the need to ensure the right balance between economic, social and environmental sustainability.
