Farmers’ anger: Brussels offers to unravel the green rules of the CAP

Fallows, hedges, crop rotation… Brussels proposed legislative amendments on Friday to radically ease the environmental rules of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which is hotly contested in the sector across the EU. Much to the dismay of environmental NGOs, the European Commission is proposing to weaken or even eliminate some of the strict “green” criteria that the new CAP (2023-2027), which came into force last year, imposes on farmers to respect receiving European payments.

“The goal is to further reduce administrative burdens, give farmers and states greater flexibility to meet certain conditions, without reducing the overall level of environmental ambition,” Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. “It will be possible to apply certain standards in a way that is more compatible with the realities that farmers face on the ground every day,” she insisted.

Thus, currently, farms must leave at least 4% of arable land fallow or unproductive areas (hedges, groves, ponds, etc.). A criterion that has become a bogeyman for farmers demonstrating in the EU. By granting a temporary suspension for 2023 and then 2024, Brussels is proposing to remove this obligation from legislation entirely, leaving only a ban on trimming hedges during nesting periods.

Farmers “will always be able to do this on a voluntary basis” in exchange for bonuses (eco-schemes), Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski told AFP. “In practice, farmers will be encouraged to maintain unproductive areas, but without fear of loss of income if they fail to do so,” said Ursula von der Leyen.

Effective 2025

Among the “conditions” criticized by agricultural organizations, which consider them impractical in the face of climate hazards, is the requirement of crop rotation with a different harvest from the previous year on 35% of arable land. It could be replaced by simple “diversification.”

Regarding the ban on bare floors during sensitive periods, “the idea would be for these periods not to be rigid, so that the state can define them flexibly, taking into account regional differences,” stressed Janusz Wojciechowski. “Most of the changes will come into force in 2025, but will be retroactive to January 1, 2024. Farmers will not be punished for not complying with these conditions” this year, he insisted.

Another important change: The Commission proposes to exempt farms of less than 10 hectares from controls and penalties related to environmental conditions, which constitute 65% of CAP beneficiaries but cover only 9.6% of the area.

Member states and MEPs should quickly study these proposals with a view to possibly approving them by the end of April. States will then have to translate European environmental and climate legislation into their national plans by the end of 2025. And in the event of extreme climate events (droughts, floods, etc.) that prevent farmers from complying with CAP requirements, states will have the right to introduce temporary exemptions reserved for relevant operators so that they will not be subject to fines.

Simplifications criticized by environmentalists

Environmental NGOs condemn the “selective” dismantling of the CAP’s green architecture without any guarantee of easing agricultural ills. “Blind abandonment of environmental measures will not reassure farmers who suffer from unfair prices and climate disaster and need long-term sustainability,” argues Anu Suono of WWF.

“It is scandalous to want to implement a legislative weakening of the CAP in an accelerated procedure without studying the consequences, under the guise of administrative simplification,” jeopardizing “the necessary adaptation to climate change,” reacted German Green MEP Martin Hausling.

Brussels’ concerns are brushed aside: “This development will in no way weaken the environmental aspect, we get more results with incentives and bonuses than with restrictions” and fines, says Janusz Wojciechowski, calling for “holding farmers accountable.” French Agriculture Minister Marc Fesneau was “delighted with the progress made,” also saying he was “very vigilant that the first answers provided by the European Commission are implemented quickly.”

Emmanuel Macron will host agricultural trade union organizations “next week,” the government has said.