100 posts
Briefing on CAP developments
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Here is a video briefing by agricultural journalists on latest developments in the CAP as the Irish presidency starts: Briefing Not sure if all the foot traffic in the background is meant to provide authenticity, but it could be distracting.
Farmers could not survive without subsdies
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Almost three quarters of farmers say they could not survive without subsidies, according to a Farmers Weekly poll: Subsidies How does one wean farmers off their subsidy dependence so that they become more like any other business that relies on retur...
Nicosia gets the thumbs down from all sides
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It isn't easy being a small state and holding the presidency of the EU, especially when you have to make proposals about the future of the CAP. Cyprus has ended up being attacked from all sides for its suggestions for a way forward on the CAP budget...
It's not all Balls
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The ploy by Ed Balls and Douglas Alexander to call for Dave Cameron to secure real cuts in the EU budget is a way of setting an elephant trap for the prime minister. They know if they were in office they would have great difficulty in securing such...
October Agricultural Council continues CAP debate - by Alan Matthews
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Agricultural Ministers continued to grind through their discussions on CAP2020 issues under the Cypriot Presidency at the Agricultural Council meeting on 22 and 23 October earlier this week.
France asks for more time for the convergence of agricultural subsidies
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The European Commission seeks to end aid per hectare based on the level of production from the 1990s. The European Commissioner for Agriculture, Dacian Cioloș, has also called for the convergence of regional and national subsidies until 2020, in ord...
Agreement on the CAP Reform possible before end of the year
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With the focus on reaching a partial general approach on the CAP Reform before the end of the year, the Agriculture and Fisheries Council continued the discussions on the reform proposals. On the first day of the AGRI-FISH Council in Luxembourg (22 O...
Oil seed rape loses its glow
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Fewer oil seed rape fields may be seen in Britain following adjustments to EU policy. It's quite a complex story, but there are two big lessons to be learnt from it. First, individual planting decisions on farms are directly affected by the EU poli...
Quota year 2011/12: Six Member States have exceeded their milk quota
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Six Member States - Austria, Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, Cyprus and Luxembourg - exceeded their milk quotas in 2011/2012, triggering "superlevy" penalties of about € 79 million, according to Commission figures published on 18 October 2012. D...
Are UKIP wrong about the CAP?
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Stuart Agnew MEP, the UKIP agricultural spokesman, has said the EU 'has become far too big to have a CAP.' There are certainly those who think that the EU is too geographically diverse to have a 'one size fits all' policy, although in practice it is...
EU Farm Policy Reform – the Current State of Play
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More than a year after the Commission unveiled its proposals for new legislation, and following passionate debates, public hearings and expert workshops, Parliament's agriculture committee is preparing to vote on four core regulations that should pav...
Dancing towards convergence
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EU Farm Commissioner Dacion Ciolos is said to be resigned to the fact that the current proposal for internal convergence of direct aid payments will need to be watered down in order for a compromise to be reached, reports Agra Europe.'It is no longer...
France and Germany do their deal
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Long-term observers of the CAP know that any agreement between France and Germany can often shape the direction of the reform process. Even with many more member states, this still remains true. Earlier this week the two countries issued a joint st...
While public attention is focused on the eurozone crisis, EU Member States and the European Parliament are locked in a struggle over reforming the Common Agricultural Policy.
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Several attempts have been made to reform the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in recent years. Christilla Roederer-Rynning writes that while previous CAP negotiations have proven controversial, the latest attempt has largely been overshadowed...
Old divisions rear their head
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Those who like to emphasise the way in which 'discourse' or ideas can shape policy have been able to trace significant changes in the debate about the Common Agricultural Policy, but this has not been reflected in real reform. Indeed, older discours...
How close is the EU to agreement on spending one trillion euro? - by Alan Matthews
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Absence of figures in the MFF negotiating box as the endgame approaches suggests governments not yet ready for the necessary compromises.
The structure of the wine market and the issue of quality
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I have been reading an interesting paper about 'Quality Classifications in Competition: Price Formation in the German Wine Market' by Jorg Rossel and Jens Beckert from the Max Planck Institute in Cologne.One conclusion that can be drawn from the pape...
The EC claims back €215 million of EU agricultural policy funds
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According to recent updates, the European Commission is claiming back around €215 million of EU agricultural policy funds which have been unduly spent by EU member states under the clearance of accounts procedure.
Cypriot presidency contemplates CAP budget cuts
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The informal meeting of farm ministers in Nicosia from 9 to 11 September which marks the effective start of the Cypriot presidency after the August holiday break is going to focus on water scarcity, land abandonment and soil erosion. These are impor...
Further thoughts on CAP greening - by Alan Matthews
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New paper provides useful summary of the CAP greening debate to date.
Cyprus Presidency proposes CAP budget cut in next MFF - by Alan Matthews
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Cyprus Presidency recognises for first time that Commission's proposed CAP budget is unrealistic.
Cyprus Presidency proposes CAP budget cut in next MFF - by Alan Matthews
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Cyprus Presidency recognises for first time that Commission's proposed CAP budget is unrealistic.
COMAGRI CAP2020 amendments published - by Alan Matthews
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Links to the COMAGRI amendments to the Commission's draft regulations on CAP post 2013.
Perspectives on the CAP2020 debate - by Alan Matthews
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Three recent presentations summarise the state of the CAP reform debate at this point.
Financiers spring to defence of ETPs
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The controversy over exchange traded products (ETPs) and their effect on food prices continues with some financial providers say they will not withdraw them. In a report issued this April, Finance Watch, a Brussels-based public interest advocacy gro...
Banks withdraw food commodity funds
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There has been considerable discussion about whether speculation drives food commodity prices up, although no definitive answer. My hunch would be that it tends to make them more volatile which creates difficulties for both producers and consumers.N...
Hungarian Melon Campaign Is a Lemon
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A Hungarian official is drawing criticism after he advocated resorting to cartel-type methods as a means of protecting domestic watermelon farmers from competition.
COMAGRI Chair calls for maintenance of CAP budget in real terms - by Alan Matthews
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Draft COMAGRI report calls to maintain CAP spending in real terms in the 2014-2020 MFF period..
How much progress has been made on agreeing the 2014-2020 MFF? - by Alan Matthews
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Only limited progress has been made in narrowing the divergences of view on the EU’s medium-term financial framework. Time is running out and the stakes are high.
Is selling ‘experiences’ a potential growth path for European agriculture? - by Alan Matthews
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Does the ‘experience economy’ in which consumers pay premium prices for products and services that provide additional intangible ‘experiences’ constitute a viable growth path for European agriculture?
Old interests in the New Member States - by Attila Jambor
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It seems that the New Member States want to further water down the original proposals of the Commission.
Discussions on Rural development and Single CMO regulations
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During the course of the last meeting of the Council on Agriculture, ministers held two orientation debates in the framework of the common agricultural policy (CAP) reform. The discussions focused on the proposal for a regulation on support for ru...
Not so sweet
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In article in this week’s Agra Europe, European Commission spokesperson Roger Waite has denied that sugar refiners in the EU market are being treated unfairly and claims that persistently high world market prices are to blame for supply difficultie...
Mr. Ciolos disagrees that EU rules for sugar market are unfair
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According to the latest statements by Dacian Ciolos, the EU Agriculture Commissioner, EU rules for the sugar market do not favour beet producers over refiners of raw cane sugar. Some members of the European Parliament from Finland, Portugal, Italy...
Eurobarometer food security survey - by Alan Matthews
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What are we to make of the findings in the latest Eurobarometer survey of EU public opinion on Europeans’ attitudes to their own food security?
The Council adopts CAP transitional measures
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According to a press release by the Council, a set of amendments to Regulation 73/2009 concerning the application of direct payments to farmers in the year 2013 has been adopted following a first reading agreement with the European Parliament.
The European Parliament report on the measurement of farm support - by J Christophe Bureau
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A variety of estimates of the level of farm support circulate. Many of them rely on creative accounting. For example, during the recent farm bill debate in the US Senate on C-Span television, a Senator claimed that the EU subsidized its farmers seven...
Gunfight for CAP Budget Money - by Emil Erjavec
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The CAP budget negotiations have started to heat up, negotiators have formed the clubs of like-minded countries. Also this time negotiations are mostly a (gun)fight for preserving or improving the net position of Member States.
Negotiations on future CAP have speeded up - by Attila Jambor
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Despite the hot summer across Europe, the previous weeks were quite busy in Brussels. On June 18th and 19th 2012, the European Parliament’s Agricultural Committee Rapporteurs presented their four draft reports on the reform on the Common Agricultur...
Co-financing rates in Pillar 2 - by Alan Matthews
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The design of co-financing rates will influence total public spending on Pillar 2 measures in the next programming period.
Paper on CAP greening - by Alan Matthews
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Links to a recent paper and report I have written on CAP greening...
A mandatory minimum spending requirement on agri-environment-climate change measures in Pillar 2? - by Alan Matthews
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Attempts to water down the mandatory spending limits on agri-environment-climate measures should be resisted.
AGRI committee brings to light preliminary plans on farm policy
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Suggestions for making direct payments for farmers fairer across the EU and simplifying checks on how the money is spent were presented by Agriculture (AGRI) Committee MEPs. Although, proposals to prolong wine planting rights and sugar quotas we...
Danish Presidency CAP reform progress report - by Alan Matthews
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The Danish Presidency has made some progress in narrowing the differences in Council on the CAP negotiating texts.
Fields of gold
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English farmland has gone up in value by more than 10,000 per cent in the last 60 years. Research from agent Knight Frank shows that an investor who paid £56 an acre for land when the Queen ascended the throne in 1952 would get £6,073 if they sol...
How the EU market looks to food exporters - by Alan Matthews
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The EU's tariff regime for agri-food imports is highly discriminatory, intended to benefit developing countries in particular. But tariff barriers are still important for Southern Mediterrananean countries and South Africa.
More thoughts on the European Innovation Partnership for Agriculture - by Alan Matthews
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The slowdown in total factor productivity growth in agriculture needs to be reversed, but there continues to be a lack of clarity about the Commission’s proposals and what they will mean in practice.
Will the right tariff average stand up? - by Alan Matthews
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New tariff database allows assessment of EU agricultural protection in a global context.
Green confusion
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Agra Europe reports that support has been building in recent weeks for the idea of member states being offered a menu of options for the ‘greening’ of the CAP post-2013, with a majority of member states backing the plan. But EU farm commissioner...
Greening proposals watered down
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Agra Europebroke the news last week that member states are demanding greater flexibility when it comes to the ‘greening’ elements of the proposals for the CAP post-2013.It has now reported that the proposal for an alternative ‘menu’ with a ra...
Setbacks for transparency of the EU
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One of the things that has, over the years, helped me maintain some faith in the functioning of the European Union was that – if push came to shove – you could find out what was going on within the walls of the institutions, and find out...
Reform of the Common Agricultural Policy: Next week’s Council
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I’ve already blogged about next week’s EU Council meeting with regard to the fisheries issues. However, the Council also deals with what is by far the largest chunk of the EU budget, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and its reform. F...
New privacy rules keep 92% of Common Agricultural Policy beneficiaries secret
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Farmsubsidy.org estimates that fewer than one in ten beneficiaries of EU farm subsidies has been published this year. The total value of payments published is €22 billion, or 45 per cent of the annual CAP budget of €54 billion.
CAP reform proposals 'too complex'
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The Court of Auditors has published a report arguing that the proposed CAP reforms are too complex and will not achieve the desired aim of simplification. They might not end the controversial practice of 'sofa farming'.The Court recognises the effor...
More regulation urged in French presidential election
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One would not expect candidates in the French presidential election to advocate less spending on the CAP or looser regulation, but there are significant differences of emphasis.President Sarkozy said that he would focus his efforts if re-elected on i...
The Polish Presidency and Agriculture: A Mixed Performance
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The Polish Presidency was not focusing especially on agriculture but has reached some important results as well as missed some opportunities depending on which side of the coin one looks.
Proposals for a greener PAC policy: a source of debate
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While key farmers’ organizations voice criticism of the European Commission´s commitment to fostering a greener Common Agricultural Policy (PAC), organic producers welcome proposed changes as they think these are positive steps toward more susta...
Green space controversy grows
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The controversy over the so-called 'Green Space' in the CAP reform proposals is growing: Green Space A somewhat embattled farm commissioner, Dacian Ciolos, is insistent that the proposals do not amount to set aside. As farm as farm organizations ar...
EU agricultural policy: Responding to the crisis?
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From VoxEU: "As Europe battles a life-threatening crisis, the European Commission has found time to discuss the much-maligned Common Agricultural Policy. This column, by the former OECD Director for Trade and Agriculture, argues that far from sei...
Cioloş defends plans to reform EU farm policy
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Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Cioloş faced a barrage of criticism yesterday (7 November) over plans to overhaul the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) before a rare gathering of national farm ministers and members of the European Parliament.
Is Europe losing touch with reality?
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Stefan TangermannIs Europe losing touch with reality? One might think so given the surprise Greek decision to hold a referendum on the austerity package. The fear of contagion is very real and if the euro is confined to a small core of northern me...
CAP reform proposals have no friends
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The Commission's proposals for the reform of the CAP have not gone down well in any quarter and have managed to draw fire from Britain and France: Reform Of course, it was ever thus and one is never going to devise a reform that is welcomed in all q...
No great suprises in CAP reform proposals
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There are no great surprises in the widely leaked Commission proposals for reform of the Common Agricultural Policy released today: CAP reform Also, not surprisingly, UK ministers have criticised the proposals as inadequate.The reform proposals have...
Enlargement and new agriculture policy
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This summer we announced that we will welcome Croatia as the 28th EU Member State in 2013 if the remaining reforms are implemented according to the timetable. The news on EU enlargement from today’s meeting with the College of Commissioners is...
Eurobarometer on CAP reform
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New poll shows public support for main thrust of the Commission's reform plans...
How will Rural Development funds be allocated among the member states?
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Simulations of different criteria for the distribution of Pillar 2 funds in the Commission’s draft impact assessment show how political is the choice of objective criteria.
EU sugar refiners want EU to abolish duty on sugar imports
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The European Union should abolish a 98 euros ($137) a metric ton duty on sugar imports from a group of countries including Brazil and Australia to ensure refiners have “fair access” to raw materials, an industry group said. The EU suspended th...
Commission’s impact assessment of direct payments changes
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Commission impact assessment confirms very limited redistribution across Member States under the preferred option in the multiannual financial framework.
Sugar quotas to go
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The EU is to end sugar quotas and guaranteed minimum prices in 2016. This represents a one year extension after the scheduled end to quotas to give producers more time to adjust: Sugar It is hoped that the change will boost output and reduce prices...
Greening element in CAP reform increased
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The European Commission is proposing to increase the greening element in the CAP reform in relation to Pillar 1 measures: Greening The proportion of farmland to be placed in ecological measures would be increased from the previously proposed 5 per c...
