Luis Planas: Council of Ministers' backing for CAP simplification will give farmers legal certainty in the 2024 season

The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Luis Planas, attends the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council of Ministers

The minister expressed his satisfaction at the great responsibility shown by both the European Commission and the EU Council of Ministers in "giving a strong and rapid European response" to the concerns and worries expressed by farmers and livestock breeders in the demonstrations that have taken place over the last few weeks in different European countries.

"Today we are more Europe", said the minister, because "when faced with the claims expressed by an essential sector such as agriculture, the EU institutions and the member states are firmly committed to working quickly to provide rapid responses to farmers and livestock farmers".

The Council of Agriculture and Fisheries Ministers in Brussels has given the green light to the proposal for a legislative amendment presented just 10 days ago by the Commission to simplify and make the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) more flexible. The Council agreed, by qualified majority, to forward the text of the proposal for the reform of the CAP basic regulation to the European Parliament immediately to speed up the procedure so that it can be approved by the Parliament before the end of April, with a view to its earliest possible publication in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU).

He highlighted the "magnificent work of the Belgian presidency", insisting on the "responsibility" of all the European institutions - Commission, Council and Parliament - to make these changes a reality as soon as possible. "Today was the time to decide", Planas stressed, pointing out that the Council had done what was necessary to speed up the procedure so that "the main measures could be applied retroactively from 1 January 2024".

Clear rules and legal certainty for farmers

The support of the Council of Ministers today is crucial, according to Planas, because "our farmers and stockbreeders need clear rules and legal certainty" in this 2024 campaign. Above all, the minister explained, because the sector is at a key moment, as spring sowing begins and the CAP application, which ends of 30 April, is in full swing.

The minister assured that the proposal to amend the basic acts of the CAP presented by the Commission on 15 March is "positive, balanced and represents a significant step forward".

Spain has advocated retroactive application of the changes, from 1 January 2024, especially with regard to cross-compliance. Specific reference was made to the amendments to the standards of the Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) concerning minimum ground cover (GAEC 6), crop rotation (GAEC 7) and non-productive areas (GAEC 8).

The minister also mentioned the need to continue working on the simplification of other measures such as geo-referenced photos and promotion, which has become a cumbersome tool for beneficiaries.

The Spanish Cadena Law, a benchmark in Europe

Another major concern for European farmers is their position in the food chain. Spain welcomes the regulatory change to the Food Chain and Unfair Practices that the Commission wants to implement. Planas appreciated the fact that they are in line with the Spanish chain law, which "adopts even more demanding measures" to ensure that producers receive a decent remuneration for their foodstuffs. He also considered it "very positive" to guarantee compliance with commercial practices at a cross-border level, one of the sector's demands and key for a country like Spain, which exports foodstuffs worth €70 billion annually, two thirds of which are within the EU.

"We must make an effort to harmonise this legislation at EU level", Planas stressed, adding that the directive on unfair commercial practices should be configured in the future "as the third pillar of the CAP", together with direct aid and rural development. "The chain law will be a very important element in strengthening the position of farmers," he said.

The minister stressed that the Commission's proposals will take into account some of the measures included in Spanish legislation. Both fair remuneration of farmers and value creation must be integrated into the new EU legislation to be binding, rather than being subject to the voluntary nature of a code of good practice or similar.

New genomic techniques

The Government of Spain has placed an item on the agenda of new gene-editing techniques to boost the competitiveness of European agriculture, which will be discussed in the afternoon session. "We have to reconcile science with agriculture, and it is very important for the future of agri-food production to advance in the regulation of new genomic techniques," explained the minister.

This new technological tool will ensure the necessary transition of the food system towards more sustainable and profitable production, especially in the current context of climate change, geopolitical instability and rising production costs. "It will help to produce more with the use of fewer resources," Planas stressed.

Improving the socio-economic assessment of the CFP

This afternoon will also see the other point introduced by Spain concerning the fisheries sector, which advocates the necessary improvement of the socio-economic evaluation in the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP). In the light of the EU Court of Justice ruling on total allowable catches and quotas, the minister welcomed the fact that the ruling supports member states' fisheries management in line with the objectives of the CFP, environmental, social and economic sustainability.

In this regard, Planas advocated the necessary balance between these three pillars and the best scientific reports available to maintain not only marine biodiversity, but also the economy, employment and population in coastal areas.

In line with the conclusions of this judgment, he urged for reflection on how to improve this evaluation of the socio-economic pillar of fisheries policy with a view to setting the next Total Allowable Catches (TACs) and quotas for 2025, especially with regard to the management and regulation of fisheries in the Mediterranean Sea.

The Council of Ministers also approved today the new regulation on Protected Geographical Indications (PGI), which improves and simplifies the registration procedures for these quality distinction schemes for agricultural products, wine and spirits.

This new regulation was one of the issues at the centre of the work of the Spanish Presidency of the EU during the second half of 2023, and which culminated on 23 October with a trilogue agreement between the Parliament, the Commission and the Council, putting an end to a negotiation process that lasted a year and a half.

Non official translation