FINAL Green elements of the EU ’ s Common Agriculture Policy and their special impact on small scale farming CEEweb agri-environment and Rural Development working group
What do small-scale farmers produce? Why support them? HIGH QUALITY ENVIRONMENT: FOOD PRODUCTS BIODIVERSITY, LANDSCAPE, WATER MANAGEMENT ETHICS: FAIR TRADE, ANIMAL WELFARE SERVICES: TOURISM ETC. SOCIAL: AGRICULTURAL EMPLOYMENT AND CONNECTED LOCAL EMPLOYMENT CULTURAL HERITAGE REGIONAL SUCCESSION APPROACH, SOCIAL COHESION, FOOD SECURITY
Pillar 1 Art. 9: active farmers MS complete the negative list of non-active farmers in order to exclude "sofa farmers", i.e. beneficiaries whose principal activity or company objectives is not agricultural activity.
Art 14: Transfers < – > P1 Transfers from Pillar 2 to Pillar 1 not generally suitable, as Pillar 2 (RDPs) have a much lower budget and need more money. Transfers from Pillar 1 to Pillar 2 is welcome, but it still depends very much on which measures are targeted.
Art 41: Redistributive payment Reg Art Name What does it allow? Aim of legislation Feature Redistributive DP 41 Support small and Employment on small Optional for payment (for first medium sized farms and medium farms Member States. hectares) � The redistributive payment allows Member States to use up to 30% of the national envelope of direct payments to redistribute to farms up to 30 ha or the national average size, representing a maximum of 65% of the basic payment value per farm. In that case, the value of payments above the 30 ha or the national average could lower degressively. This redistributive payment is a very positive measure for a fairer CAP for small/medium sized farms. MSs should be encouraged to redistribute towards small/medium sized farms as much as possible. Ex: Romania 1-5 small extra payment, 5-30 larger extra payment
Arts 43-46: Payment for climate and environment Reg Art. Name What does it allow? Aim of Feature legislation 43-46 Payments for "Greening" of 30% greening is mandatory DP 30% of direct payments but «equivalent>> practices direct payments practices beneficial become conditional upon respecting 3 simple still an option forMS as well for climate and environment agronomic measures as collective implementation of E co log i ca l Focus Areas (EF As ) � • Art 44 Crop diversification • Art 45: Maintain permanent pasture • Art 46: Ecological Focus Areas
Art 44: Crop diversification Reg. Art Name What does it allow? Target Feature Arable – DP 44 Main crop shall not cover more than 75% <10 ha arable: no obligation Crop of the arable land 10-30 ha arable: 2 crops maintain soil Diversification quality >30 ha arable: 3 crops � Maintain sustainable arable systems with crop diversification. Smallest farmers do not have to comply. RO example: 44% of arable land , in holdings under 10ha, does not have to carry out obligatory crop diversification in exchange of direct payments. 48% of arable land in RO 10-30 ha, will not be required to do a three crop diversification. In RO, GAEC 4 (prohibits the continued cultivation of sunflower for more than 2 successive years) will be maintained for sunflower maize, affectiong all farmers.
Art 45: Maintain permanent pasture Explicit legal text to protect Natura 2000 pastures (no legal change as the Birds and Habitats directives still apply, but enforcement will likely improve). Also MS have the option to better map and monitor carbon rich pastures, wetland pastures and other semi-natural pastures which are most valuable for both climate and biodiversity.
Art 46: Ecological focus areas Reg Art Name What does it allow? Aim of legislation Feature 46 Ecological Recognition of value to ag ro- lm prove ecosystem List of topographic DP Focus Areas ecological infrastructures: landscape services provided by elements to keep in (EFAs) features, hedges, buffer strips, ponds, on-farm and wild place or to create ; trees, terraces, fallow ... Does not biodiversity weighting matrix to apply to permanent crops or convert linear meters pasture, or temporary grassland. into hectares. � Greening obligation to provide ecological landscape features (Ecological Focus Areas) such as buffer strips between fields, trees, hedges, scrub, ponds, etc. Final deal provided for 5% of arable land, possibly increased to 7% of EFAs in 2017 after a report from the Commission. EFA was intended to be applied on permanent crops like vineyards, olive groves or orchards, where there would be huge improvement possible for soil conservation and pollinators. However, problem that EFAs can now include a wide range of unsuitable crops, such as leguminous plants, short rotation coppice and arable crops. Farms under 15 ha arable area have no EFA obligation. .
P2 Measures that could be combined to support small-scale farmers • Knowledge transfer and information actions • Advisory services, farm management and farm relief services • Quality schemes for agricultural products and foodstuffs • Investments in physical assets • Farm and business development (young farmers, small farms) • Basic services and village renewal in rural areas • Setting up of producer groups • Agri-environment and climate change • Organic farming • Natura 2000 payments • Payments to areas facing natural or other specific constraints • Animal welfare • Co-operation – Operational Groups under European Innovation Partnership
Art 14: Knowledge transfer Reg. Art Name What does it allow? Target Feature Knowledge Includes vocational training and 2 RD Provide knowledge transfer and Farmers 14 � transfer and information actions. skills acquisition actions may NGOs information include training actions courses, workshops and C ould be potentially used by N GOs who do trainings and knowledge transfer coaching. � (which are not included in any advice Maximum EAFRD services). contribution is 80% � Key measure for agro-ecological knowledge exchange. Note: try to encourage MS to have local, not national, approach and contracts, to encourage local actions.
Art 15: Advisory services Reg. Art Name What does it allow? Target Feature Advisory Support advise providers, Help farmers, young farmers, in rural 2 RD 15 Farmers including also issues like areas benefit from the use of advisory services, farm Young farmers climate change mitigation and land services for management and adaptation, biodiversity managers and farm - improvement of economic and and protection of water, Advisors relief services environmental performance as well as short food supply chains, ADVISORY climate friendliness and resilience of organic farming, agro- their holding, ecological innovations... - enterprise and/or investment; - promote setting up of farm management/ a dvi sory se rvi ces , - forestry advisory services - training o f a dvi so r s . � Measure includes issues linked to economic and environmental performance of the holding. Include advice for the development of short supply chains, organic farming, delivery of agronomic practices and integrated pest management, ensuring compliance with Water Framework Directive and Sustainable Use Directive and health aspects of animal husbandry. Note: try to encourage MS to have local, not national, approach and contracts, to encourage local actions.
Art 16: Quality schemes Reg. Art Name What does it allow? T arget Feature 2 16 Quality Support promotion and information Farmers or groups of Support under this DPRD actions related to official quality farmers measure may cover costs schemes for schemes quality 3 : protected designations arising from information agricultural of origin (PDO), organic farming, and promotion activities products, geographical indications (PGI), and implemented by and also quality schemes, including farm groups of producers in foodstuffs certification schemes, for agricultural the internal market, products, cotton or foodstuffs, concerning products recognised by the Member States. covered by a quality scheme � Important measure for high quality organic products and local food recognition under PGI/PDO schemes. Support for both national and regional quality schemes must prioritise higher sustainability standards in food production which have verifiable results for the environment.
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