Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
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Consultation on CAP Health Check proposals
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) has launched a twelve-week consultation on the European Commission's proposals for the "Health Check" of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
The Health Check is a scheduled review of the major CAP reforms of 2003, which could have potentially significant implications for farmers across the EU, for the environment and for cutting prices for consumers As well as reviewing the 2003 reforms, the Health Check is intended to prepare the way for longer-term reform of the CAP following the EU budget review in 2009/10.
The UK will be fully engaged in the EU negotiations on the Health Check, with agreement expected to be reached before the end of the year. Defra's consultation seeks comments on the proposed improvements to the Single Payment Scheme, improving market orientation, and responding to new environmental challenges. Consultation responses will inform the UK's approach to the negotiations.
A summary of responses, including next steps, will be published after the consultation.
The consultation period began on 9 June, and will last for 12 weeks. It closes on 1 September. To participate in the consultation, go to http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/cap-healthcheck/
Notes to editors
1. The European Commission's legislative proposals for the Health Check of the Common Agricultural Policy were published on 20 May.
2. They include proposals to:
* Improve the Single Payment Scheme by: incorporating some of the remaining production-related subsidies into the scheme; simplifying the detailed rules; and in some cases removing some of the statutory management requirements under cross-compliance, to begin to focus on more effective measures.
* Make a number of changes to the remaining price support measures in the arable, livestock and dairy sectors, including: abolishing intervention for rice, durum wheat and pigmeat; phasing-out milk quotas; abolishing compulsory set-aside, with some measures to address the environmental consequences; and allowing greater scope for Member States to choose to use "national envelopes" to support specific types of farming.
* Respond to four environmental challenges - climate change, bio-energy, water management and biodiversity - as well as addressing the environmental effects of ending set-aside through: introducing new items such as protection and management of water, specific landscape features, and buffer strips along water courses as requirements of good environmental management; and increasing the compulsory use of CAP funds for rural development programmes.
3. It is expected that agreement between Member States will be reached at EU Agriculture Council in November, with the European Parliament delivering an opinion around the same time. This would mean that the final Health Check legislation is likely to be formally adopted in December.
4. The Government and the devolved administrations have published their aims for the Health Check at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/policy/capreform/index.htm
5. The Government's longer term vision for the CAP is available at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/policy/capreform/index.htm
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