The European Parliament has approved the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The new measures, the steps forward and the criticisms levelled at the programme.
On Tuesday 23 November, the European Parliament definitively approved the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), with 452 votes in favour, 178 against and 57 abstentions. This is the version (which will remain in force from January 2023 until 2027) of the set of rules that the European Union establishes for the sector.
The programme represents the basis for "steering" public subsidies and, more broadly, policies directed at farmers in member states. After three and a half years of negotiations, the Twenty-Seven states, together with the Parliament, reached a compromise, which nonetheless did not satisfy everyone — sparking particularly sharp criticism from an environmental and climate perspective.
The new CAP was indeed approved with the support of the European People's Party and the liberal Renew group; by contrast, the Socialists and Democrats group was divided on the matter, while the left and the Greens opposed it strongly. Similarly, numerous non-governmental organisations pointed to the shortcomings of the CAP. Swedish activist Greta Thunberg herself described the programme as "disastrous for the climate and for the environment" and "not aligned with the Paris Agreement".
But let us take a step back: what is the CAP? The Common Agricultural Policy is necessary given the complexity of the work of those who cultivate the land. Work that, among other things, is often poorly remunerated. Despite the importance of food production, farmers' incomes are on average 40 per cent lower than those in other sectors across Europe. Harvests depend on numerous factors that are largely uncontrollable, such as weather and climate conditions. And those who work the land are also called upon to respect the environment, preserve the soil and biodiversity.
All these uncertainties effectively justify the decision to assign a predominant management role to the public sector. The CAP therefore provides for income support, as well as market control measures aimed at addressing, for example, sudden collapses in demand. Such subsidies flow through the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). The new CAP will be endowed with 387 billion euros, of which 270 billion in direct payments.
The main criticism levelled at the new CAP relates to the allocation of resources. There are fears that they could benefit large agro-industrial groups far more than small farmers. Indeed, only 10 per cent of direct payments is earmarked for the latter. Greenpeace Italy explained that "the new CAP continues to direct the bulk of agricultural funds to the intensive livestock farming system. To protect the Planet, we need to change course, and we are here to make sure that happens." Likewise, Eleonora Evi, a Greens MEP, stated: "Today in Strasbourg we celebrated the funeral of sustainable agriculture."
In theory, the new CAP should be "greener." Part of the budget will indeed be directed at farmers who adopt particularly ambitious programmes from the point of view of ecosystem conservation. The reform provides in particular that 25 per cent of direct payments must go to so-called "eco-schemes". While those who defend the new CAP consider this a good way of incentivising the adoption of ecological practices, critics argue that the rules are so vague as to easily open the door to greenwashing. Furthermore, in practice this means that 75 per cent of direct payments will not be subject to any environmental conditions.
It will also be the Commission that analyses and approves the projects, and the choice appears to be not to do so on the basis of the main green deal objectives relating to agriculture — namely, halving the use of pesticides, increasing organic farming to 25 per cent of the total and reducing the use of fertilisers by 20 per cent. Member states have indeed opposed this, pointing out that such objectives have not been incorporated into the legislation. However, the strategic plans that each government will have to submit by the end of the year in order to access the funds must be "consistent" with the laws stemming from the green deal.
On the other hand, the choice to structure the Common Agricultural Policy around such national plans effectively confers an enormous degree of power on each individual state. It is no coincidence that some have denounced a de facto "re-nationalisation". At the same time, the new CAP does not call into question the basic structure of the distribution of support, which will continue to be granted on the basis of available hectares, thus rewarding the strongest.
