Farmers have a “sense” that their places in society “may not be where they once were”, according to European Commissioner Mairead McGuinness.
Speaking to EU News Radio, Commissioner McGuinness – who is the Commissioner for Financial Stability, Financial Services and the Capital Markets Union – addressed the recent wave of farm protests around Europe, as well as the regulatory burden on farmers.
A recently announced initiative by the commission is seeking to reduce that administrative burden in a number of ways, including by proposing a reduction in national farm visits by up to 50%.
The commission’s proposal has been met with a mixed response from farm organisation in Ireland, with the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA) cautiously welcoming it, but the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) calling it “meaningless”.
Commissioner McGuinness commented: “Farmers right across Europe are just in a very uncertain time and feel under enormous pressure from an income point of view, and from costs, and also a sense in which their places in society may not be where they once were. I think that’s part of it.
“We need to listen very carefully to the many reasons that farmers across 27 countries have concerns. We are asking our member states to lighten the burden that farmers feel from regulation, not to reduce or dilute the rules, but to make sure they are implemented in a proportionate way,” she added.
The commissioner said that the EU has several policies that have an impact on farm-level, not just the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
“The CAP is the one we hear most of. But we have climate, environment, trade, development, we have all these policies that do eventually impact on the farm, and I think we need to work with farmers to understand how that complex array of policies actually impacts at their level.
“I think farmers now know they are being listened to, as they should be, and hopefully we can find a way of allaying some of their deep fears,” Commissioner McGuinness said.
Less inspections for farmers?
In announcing its plans for reducing the administrative burden on farmers, the commission said that it will aim to reduce farm inspections by “streamlining and clarifying” how to assess the quality of the area monitoring system (AMS).
This is based on automated analysis of satellite imagery, meant to reduce inspections on farms; help farmers to avoid errors and incur penalties; as well as facilitating reporting.
According to the commission, with fewer visits to manage, farmers will have more time to “dedicate to their core work”.
The commission also proposed simplifying the requirements that EU farmers need to comply with to receive CAP support.
The commission proposes to change some of the rules under the Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAECs), specifically GAEC 1.
This GAEC imposes a requirement to keep areas of permanent grassland in the EU stable since the reference year 2018.
Under the commission’s proposal, rules by mid-March would change to ensure that structural changes caused by market reorientation and reduction in livestock are taken into account.