The likely next European Commissioner for Agriculture has floated the idea of making it mandatory for EU member states to redistribute more funds to smaller farmers than is currently required.
Christophe Hansen went before members of the European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee today (Monday, November 4) and answered a wide range of questions, including on funding under the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP).
Currently, the Complimentary Redistributive Income Support for Sustainability (CRISS) distributes 10% of the Pillar I budget to the first 30ha for each recipient.
10% is the minimum figure that must be redistributed, but member states have the option of going above this.
However, during today’s hearing, Irish MEP Luke Ming Flanagan pointed out that only six of EU member states’ CAP Strategic Plans opted to go beyond the 10% requirement.
A higher requirement had been discussed when the current CAP was being devised pre-2020, and Flanagan asked Hansen if he would consider making it mandatory for member states to go beyond that requirement.
Hansen said: “I think the mandatory aspect needs to be put on the table again. The situation politically has changed as well because the pressure from our farming community is very high, so I really believe we need a certain degressivity.
He said that a situation in which extremely wealthy people and large businesses receive significant amounts of CAP funding is “not the CAP I want to stand for”.
“I want to look into that again to really distribute it better. I think we will need to take a closer look because for me it is unacceptable that billionaires get [CAP funding] and those that are in need get maybe €100 more. This will not make them profitable,” the commissioner hopeful added.
Commissioner hearings
Over the coming days, the nominated commissioners from each country will be put through their paces be MEPs, who will have the final say on whether or not they will be given the portfolios that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has selected them for.
Today was the first set of hearings for commissioners, with each hearing being led by the relevant committee of the European Parliament. In Hansen’s case, that was the agriculture committee.
Barry Cowen is another member of that committee. Speaking to Agriland in Brussels ahead of Hansen’s hearing, Cowen said: “It’s about him living up to the commitment that’s been given by President von der Leyen in relation to the obligation he has, in his first 100 days, to set out his agenda and the means by which he’ll implement that agenda.
Irish MEP @CowenBarry tells Agriland what he expects of new agri commissioner @CHansenEU at the latter’s confirmation hearing in Brussels pic.twitter.com/h90RagQ6bN— Agriland (@AgrilandIreland) November 4, 2024
“From my perspective, I specifically want to question him on the funding issue in relation to CAP and the fact that CAP, in the last mandate, didn’t do what it set out to do. It didn’t align with food production systems, with environmental ambition, and with consumer sentiment,” Cowen said.
“I’m anxious that farmers are rewarded rather, than the ‘cost forgone’ metric in relation to the provision of funding towards environmental and eco schemes, specifically, asking him to respond to suggestions that he put a separate and distinct pillar in place to deal with that issue and reward farmers, and to allow CAP itself to go back to its original remit to supplement farm income and to be geared towards food production methods,” the MEP added.