Panel calls for rural policy
Panel calls for rural policy
GOVERNMENTS long-term objective should be to replace the CAP with a European rural policy, promoting sustainable development.
The governments panel on sustainable development also attacked the slow progress made on CAP reform policy since the launch by former farmer minister William Waldegrave of the CAP think-tank in a report released this week.
Chairman, Sir Crispin Tickell, former ambassador to the United Nations, said the UK should push for fresh CAP reforms through the Inter-Governmental Conference and Britains forthcoming EU presidency next year.
It calls for the attachment of agreed environmental requirements to agricultural support payments, the setting up of a comprehensive range of agri-environment schemes across Europe and for national farm biodiversity targets. *