The EU Agriculture Committee has approved the first batch of proposals to improve EU farm policy under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) following a vote in the European Parliament this evening (Monday, April 1).

This first vote on the CAP reform focused on the new EU rules for common market organisation (CMO) in agricultural products after 2020.

The CMO regulation was approved by 29 votes in favour to seven against.

MEPs say that the current scheme, which grants aid to dairy farmers who voluntarily produce less in times of severe market imbalances in an effort to stabilise prices, should be extended to all sectors.

They also say that more transparency, better crisis management and a wider safety net are also required.

CAP vote

Meanwhile, MEPs endorsed proposed provisions to ensure that national authorities tackle unlawful use of protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI) and traditional speciality guaranteed (TSG) .

They insist that controls to verify compliance with product specifications should be of administrative nature, but also include on-the-spot checks.

Rapporteur of the proposals Eric Andrieu said, while farmers were facing significant income problems related to price volatility and the downstream concentration, the commission proposed only very limited administrative reform.

My goal is to create effective mechanisms to prevent and better manage agricultural crises.

Andrieu added: “I want to effectively respond to price volatility, and to make sure farmers can benefit from a fairer and more stable income, which would allow them to invest more in the ecological transition that consumers are asking for.

“Like the EU, the CAP must be reformed to better respond to future challenges,” he concluded.

This latest CAP approval will now be scrutinised by the European Parliament. This will take place after the May elections.

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