MEPs vote on the new agricultural policy reform
MEPs have voted last week on the new CAP rejecting demands from campaigners to link most agricultural subsidies to environmental protection standards. However, the EP agreed that 30 per cent of farmers’ payments should be tied to operations that benefit wildlife, but it watered down the changes proposed by the Commission.
“Parliament has voted to keep the greening of European farming just about alive. This is a strong signal to national governments that people do not want their taxes spent on propping up an industrial farming system that is destroying the environment, causing endless food scandals and ruining the livelihoods of small farmers”, said Stanka Becheva, food and agriculture campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe.
The Greens have also expressed regret at this outcome with Green MEP and co-chair of the agriculture committee José Bové saying that the MEPs have failed to seize a historic opportunity to overhaul the agricultural policy and prepare it for the 21st century. “The fact that this is the first time parliament has had a say on the CAP as a codecider makes today's outcome even more regrettable”, he said.
Karin Ulmer, of CONCORD and development network Aprodev, said that MEPs have not come to terms with the damaging role the CAP has in developing countries. “Development concerns have been ignored, which is a failure for voices who want to ensure that the CAP is living up to the global sustainability challenge of the 21st century. The majority of parliamentarians have voted down amendments in support of a monitoring system to assess the external impact in developing countries, as well the introduction of crop rotation including protein plants”, she said.
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