Reforming the Common Agricultural Policy to ensure a fair deal for farmers, consumers and taxpayers
Issue
The EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is the system of agricultural subsidies and programmes. It covers farming, environmental measures and rural development, and controls EU agricultural markets. It is the EU’s single largest common policy and accounts for over 40% of the entire EU budget.
Each part of the UK has different arrangements. For information about Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, you should contact the relevant agricultural department.
Find out how we are implementing new CAP regulations in England - our guidance and documents collected in one place.
Actions
We will change how we spend CAP funding. Some arrangements will remain the same. We are developing the arrangements for how we will implement the new CAP regulations from 2015.
There will still be 2 ‘pillars’. Pillar 1 for direct payments to farmers and market control measures. Pillar 2 to promote rural development.
We’re improving the way customers (mostly farmers and landowners) can communicate with us and how they’re paid. From July 2014, customers can manage their CAP schemes and report changes online. It will make the process quicker and easier for customers and government.
Background
The EC published its CAP regulatory proposals on 12 October 2011. This was the first CAP reform agreed using the ordinary legislative procedure.
The Commission’s legislative proposals covered the main areas of CAP:
• direct payments
• single Common Market Organisation (sCMO)
• rural development
• financing, management and monitoring
The new European CAP regulations were approved by EU agriculture ministers at the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in December 2013. This includes a CAP transitional regulation.
Once finalised, most of the new CAP regulations will come into force in 2015. This includes direct payments. Transitional arrangements will be put in place, if necessary, for 2014. The new single Common Market Organisation arrangements came into force in January 2014.
The amount of money available under CAP in England is £15 billion over the next 7 years. Of this some £3.5 billion will be invested in schemes to grow the rural economy and improve the environment.
Who we’ve consulted
Over the past 2 years we have been discussing the proposals with English farmers, environmental groups, rural communities, non-governmental organisations and other interested parties.
We have been asking their views on how the proposed reforms might impact people who are affected by the CAP. We have also been seeking their ideas for how we can implement the new CAP regulations in England in ways that are as simple, affordable and effective as possible.
We ran a comprehensive formal public consultation on CAP implementation in England in the autumn of 2013. You can find out more in the summary of the responses to the consultation and government response - originally published in December 2013 and updated with government responses on remaining issues in February (new environmental land management scheme), April (moorland) and June 2014 (greening).
Legislation
The three Statutory Instruments that support the implementation of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) schemes came into force on 1 January 2015.
• Common Agricultural Policy (Competent Authority and Coordinating Body) Regulations 2014 sets out who is responsible within the UK for ensuring the administration of the CAP meets EU regulatory requirements.
• Common Agricultural Policy Basic Payment and Support Schemes (England) Regulations 2014 sets out how certain options for direct payments to farmers will be applied in England.
• Common Agricultural Policy (Control and Enforcement, Cross- Compliance, Scrutiny of Transactions and Appeals) Regulations 2014 sets out how we will administer and enforce the CAP.
There are 4 basic European regulations covering CAP reform.
Progress
We are developing the arrangements for how we will implement the new CAP regulations from 2015.
We have collected our guidance and documents on how we are implementing new CAP regulations in England in one place.
We published some information on the new Rural Development Programme for England in June 2014.
From:
Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
The Rt Hon Elizabeth Truss MP
Forestry Commission
Natural England
Rural Payments Agency