Paterson pledges fair CAP greening scheme
DEFRA secretary Owen Paterson has rejected claims that English farmers will face an unfair deal if the UK gets its way on CAP reform.
His comments came ahead of talks that could allow EU member states to implement their own “greening” schemes rather than environmental measures imposed by Brussels.
Farm leaders fear such a deal would allow DEFRA to go further than demanded by the EU Commission – effectively gold-plating EU greening requirements.
A coalition of 24 farming organisations – including the NFU – has warned that English farmers could face tougher environmental measures than their European neighbours.
But Mr Paterson told Farmers Weekly: “I have no intention of gold-plating anything.”
He added: “I just want to make sure it is easy to administer, easy to understand and delivers the outcomes requested by the commission.”
Speaking on Tuesday (19 March), Mr Paterson said it would be unworkable to allow farmers to choose between a DEFRA-based scheme or measures proposed by Brussels.
If it received the go-ahead, a DEFRA-based scheme would be introduced instead of – rather than alongside – environmental measures proposed by Brussels, he suggested.
“Having two parallel schemes would be a right old mess. We want to have one system that is nice and easy to understand and the same with the outcomes.”
Mr Paterson rejected suggestions that allowing DEFRA to introduce its own greening scheme would be unfair.
“We are trying to do something that is very positive,” he said, before CAP reform negotiations started on the second day of an EU farm council meeting in Brussels.
Better value for money would be delivered by creating a greening scheme built on the UK’s current agri-environment arrangements, computer systems and staff, said Mr Paterson.
“I want to build on those existing admin systems and deliver the outcomes requested by the commission,” he added.
“I am surprised at the criticism of this – I don’t see why we have to create a whole new system.”
Taxpayers expected value for money, said Mr Paterson. Part of that was the public goods provided by environmental benefits on farmland.
“Greening will go through, so if is going to go through I want to make sure it is adapted to our local circumstances,” he said.
Ministers from 27 EU countries attending the two-day meeting in Brussels on 18-19 March hope to reach agreement on a range of CAP reform proposals.