LORDS

Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Reform

In October 2011, the European Commission published proposals to reform the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The Committee has been working consistently on the subject since 2007, when it published a report on the Future of the CAP. A further substantial report was published in 2011 on Innovation in EU Agriculture. Most recently, in September 2012, the Committee published a short report on the reform of the CAP as it applies to the sugar sector.

Since publication of the proposals in October 2011, the Committee has been scrutinising the Government position. In November 2011, it convened a Seminar to debate the findings of its Innovation in EU Agriculture report in the context of the reform proposals. The Seminar was attended by the European Commission, a Government Minister and stakeholders. Subsequently, the Committee sent its positions to the Government and EU institutions.

Since then, the Committee has continued its scrutiny work. On 4 July, the Committee held an oral evidence session with former Agriculture Minister, Jim Paice MP, on CAP reform, including a series questions relating specifically to the sugar regime and others relating to:

  • Risk management
  • Direct payments – "greening" and re-distribution between Member States
  • Rural Development Regulation
  • Farm Advice
  • Integration of the Water Framework Directive into the CAP reform
    Innovation

The Committee also remains in correspondence with the Government on these issues. The most recent correspondence is available below:

The Minister's February 2013 letter was referred to during the debate of the House on the Government's response to the report of the Independent Panel on Forestry, which took place on 27 February. 

If you would like to read the Government’s explanatory memoranda on the proposals sifted for further scrutiny you can find them on the Cabinet Office's European Memoranda search page.