The European Parliament Agriculture Committee being “forced to share competence on Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform” with the Environment Committee is “very regrettable“, according to the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA).
Also Read: EU agri and enviro committees in ‘power struggle’ over CAPCommenting on the situation, ICSA president Patrick Kent said: “We have seen how the Environment Committee made a mess of the role it got on biofuels under the Renewable Energy Directive negotiations.
Its position was informed more by ideology than by pragmatic environmental outcomes.
A similar approach to CAP reform will “undermine the likelihood of a coherent parliament position on CAP”, the president added.
“While we all accept that CAP has to deliver on environmental and climate change objectives, this will best be achieved by decisions which are informed by a real understanding of the challenges facing farm families.
“The whole raison d’etre of the Agriculture Committee is being disregarded by this decision.
“The decision was taken in Brussels by the European Parliament Presidents’ Committee.
While the European Parliament Agriculture Committee still retains lead competence, the decision means that the Environment Committee will be able to strongly interfere in this – and will also be able to bring proposals on CAP direct to the European Parliament sitting in plenary.
“This will surely lead to disarray around an already complex set of reform proposals,” Kent concluded.