The Food Chain Law, a reference in Europe | EUROtoday

Beyond the modification of the rules of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the European Commission has proposed to Parliament the configuration of a Chain Law impressed by the Spanish one, an formidable strategy to ensure respectable remuneration for farmers and ranchers and combine the technology of worth into neighborhood rules that can be addressed within the medium time period. Now the precedence is to urgently approve a package deal of measures that calms the stress within the countryside.

What is the proposal of the European Commission?

On March 15, the Commission proposed a package deal of measures to calm down the environmental necessities that farmers should meet to entry CAP help, exceptionally together with the exemption of controls and sanctions to alleviate the executive burden on small companies. agricultural holdings.

What particular modifications does the doc suggest?

The Commission proposes the evaluate of a number of BCAM, that are the principles useful for the setting and the local weather that farmers should respect to obtain help from the CAP. Specifically, it proposes a particular evaluate of the BCAM 6, of minimal soil protection in probably the most delicate durations; 7, rotation on farmland; and eight, minimal fallow share, through which Member States are inspired to supply extra flexibility.

What different measures do you intend?

Brussels additionally proposes that member states can exempt sure crops, soil varieties or agricultural methods from compliance with the necessities on tillage, soil cowl and crop rotation or diversification (BCAM5, 6 and seven). It may also be doable to ascertain exemptions to permit plowing to revive everlasting pastures in Natura 2000 websites in case they undergo harm as a result of predators or invasive species (BCAM 9) and introduce non permanent exceptions within the occasion of adversarial weather conditions that forestall compliance with the BCAM.

And all this… doesn't it go towards the Green Deal?

The Commission ensures that the comfort of the CAP is not going to compromise the final stage of ambition relating to the environmental and local weather safety aims of the EU agricultural coverage.

How many Spanish farmers will the adjustments profit?

Specifically, the simplification that excludes farms which have lower than ten hectares from the cross-compliance necessities profit some 345,000 small farmers in Spain55% of the entire beneficiaries of CAP help.

When will it’s accepted?

The Council of Agriculture Ministers has given the inexperienced mild to the Commission's proposal and has despatched the reform of the CAP regulation to Parliament in order that it might probably approve it earlier than the tip of April.

What date will it come into impact?

The goal is for it to be printed within the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU) as quickly as doable in order that the primary measures could be utilized retroactively from January 1, 2024. Speed ​​is crucial to ensure authorized certainty as a result of the The sector is now starting spring sowing and is within the midst of the CAP software submission marketing campaign, which ends subsequent April 30.

Why is Europe specializing in the Spanish Chain Law?

In parallel to the flexibilities of the CAP, the Commission has addressed proposals associated to the meals chain, such because the creation of an observatory of manufacturing prices, margins and industrial practices or the modification of the regulation of the Common Organization of Markets (CMO) to introduce the duty to make contracts in writing, one thing that was launched into Spanish laws within the reform of the Chain Law accepted on the finish of 2021.

How are farmers and ranchers going to be assured respectable remuneration?

The Commission's strategy incorporates fundamental components of Spanish regulation on this space, such because the prohibition of gross sales at a loss, which prevents the destruction of worth all through the meals chain.

When will the measures be applied in Spain?

The Ministry of Agriculture is advancing the rules that have to be modified internally to adapt the adjustments as soon as they’re accepted in Europe. Meanwhile, Planas retains negotiations open with the primary agricultural skilled organizations to agree on a package deal of measures that may also embody tax help or a reform of the agricultural insurance coverage system.