DEFRA’s Common Agricultural Policy Vision reviewed

Summary

In December 2005, the Government launched a “Vision for the Common Agricultural Policy”, which was intended to stimulate debate and show how the Common Agricultural Policy should change in 10-15 years.

This Report ‘The UK Government's vision for the Common Agricultural Policy’ (HC 546-I) examines the proposals and finds them a lost opportunity.

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Law-Making Explained

This is a House of Commons Paper (HC 546-I 2006-07): it is a Report from the Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.

Find out more about Select Committees.

How does it affect me?

If you work in the agricultural industry, this affects you.

The Committee finds that the Government should have directed the debate towards scrapping the existing CAP and replacing it with a Rural Policy for the European Union.

The Committee suggests that there should be a new Vision document, launched in a more subtle way so that allies for reform can be enlisted. The credibility of the document depends on the Government providing full and detailed evaluation of the impact of proposals on bio-diversity, the environment, markets for agricultural goods and individual farm enterprises. It is recommended that this be done by mid 2008.

In addition, the Committee states that, as the long-term justification of the expenditure of taxpayers’ money is the provision of public benefit, these public goods should be measurable and capable of evaluation.