Brussels proposes easing environmental necessities to learn from the CAP and is contemplating requesting its evaluation | Economy | EUROtoday

Brussels is making ready one other bundle of concessions to the countryside to attempt to defuse the agricultural protests which are shaking a number of EU nations 100 days earlier than the European elections. Almost instantly, the Community Executive will simplify some environmental necessities that farmers should meet to learn from funds from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and can scale back inspections of crops and farms. The measures proposed by the European Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen, who has simply introduced her intention to run for re-election for a second time period, search to assist scale back the executive burden that constitutes one of many sector's main complaints within the mobilizations for All Europe.

In a considerably long run, Brussels can be contemplating asking member states to evaluation the fundamental rules of the CAP to facilitate the work, particularly of small farmers, in response to the proposal despatched to the Belgian presidency of the Council of the EU. this Thursday and to which EL PAÍS has had entry. The present rules, which can apply till 2027, have turn out to be one of many targets of agricultural demonstrations and of some governments even if they supported them on the time.

“The simplification of our agricultural policies is a constant priority, both at EU and national level,” Von der Leyen said when making her proposal public. “We are easing the administrative burden on our farmers to help them ensure food security for European citizens,” he famous. “With these actions, we are fulfilling the promise we made to farmers to accelerate this discussion,” he added.

The EU Agriculture Ministers will research the Commission's proposal on Monday, in an occasion for which farmers and ranchers have already introduced new protests in Brussels and by which the Community Executive may also think about finishing up a direct survey of the agriculture sector in March. subject to raised perceive which bureaucratic obstacles most disturb them.

For the second, nevertheless, the Commission desires to “simplify the methodology of certain reviews to reduce visits to national administration farms by up to 50%,” as proposed within the textual content. According to Brussels, this proposal straight responds to a number of calls for from Member States, which think about that with fewer administrative visits, farmers will be capable to dedicate extra and higher to their predominant job: caring for their farms and lands. To this finish, the Commission is analyzing find out how to enhance the monitoring system primarily based on photos supplied by Copernicus, which might make on-site visits by nationwide officers much less vital.

It was one other tractor drive just like the one introduced subsequent Monday, particularly the one which stuffed the European neighborhood of Brussels with tractors on February 1, simply when the heads of State and Government of the EU have been assembly within the Belgian capital, which led to von der Leyen to vow that she would current a collection of proposals forward of the ministers' assembly to cut back the executive burden brought on by European rules for the countryside.

In the main target of the proposals that the Commission has now ready are the BCAM, the Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions, that are minimal necessities for environmental and local weather dedication, of a compulsory nature, to obtain the direct funds supplied for within the CAP.

As Brussels acknowledges, these obligatory fundamental requirements have confirmed to be “difficult to implement in some circumstances”, which is why it’s keen to change some factors. It shouldn’t be one thing new: it already took a primary step on the finish of January, when it proposed a short lived repeal of the requirement to depart a minimal share of land fallow annually (BCAM 8).

Now, it additionally proposes to alter the so-called BCAM 1 on the upkeep of everlasting pasture primarily based on a proportion of everlasting pasture with respect to agricultural space at regional stage, in comparison with the reference 12 months 2018. The Commission desires to amend the principles till mid March in order that farmers who’re pressured by “structural changes caused by the reorientation of markets” to cut back their livestock, do not need to transform arable areas into pastures. It additionally proposes to “review” what agricultural practices are attainable throughout delicate intervals when complying with the duty of minimal soil cowl in essentially the most delicate intervals (BCAM 6), and to make these situations extra “flexible”.

Brussels additionally desires to “clarify” the phrases “force majeure” and “exceptional circumstances.” This is the authorized idea that permits farmers who can not meet the CAP necessities for subsidies resulting from distinctive and unforeseeable occasions past their management (reminiscent of extreme droughts or floods) to not be penalized for that failure. According to Brussels, this clarification will assure a “uniform” software of those exceptions all through the EU, which in flip will enhance the understanding of affected farmers that they are going to obtain help from the CAP since “budgetary errors” can be averted.

Beyond these nearly instant measures, Brussels desires to launch within the coming days an “online survey directly aimed at farmers.” The goal is to “help identify their main concerns and understand the origins of the administrative burden and complexity” of the CAP and different European rules that have an effect on them. The outcomes of the survey ought to already present a “clearer picture” of the principle obstacles perceived by farmers in the summertime and will permit a extra detailed evaluation of the scenario to be identified within the autumn.

According to him, he’s additionally “reflecting” on further medium-term measures that would assist, particularly to alleviate the executive burden on small farmers. Among the concepts that he’s contemplating is the opportunity of exempting small farms, of lower than ten hectares, from controls linked to compliance with the BCAM. A measure that, he believes, would “significantly simplify” the day by day work of small farmers, who symbolize 65% of CAP beneficiaries, all whereas sustaining the “environmental ambitions” of European agricultural coverage, since small farms are solely 9.6% of the areas that obtain help from the CAP, he argues. In the crosshairs of this attainable evaluation would even be, on a extra everlasting foundation, the rules on fallow lands, crop rotation rules and minimal soil protection rules, he advances.

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