Common Agricultural Policy...

We heard from Herman Snijders from European Agricultural Policy group about the role, purpose and up-coming reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).  The challenge is to de-couple the payment system from agricultural production so it is being shifted accross to a 'Single Farm Payment' which is paid, with strings attached.  The policy is creating a  challenging  environment for young people to move into agriculture because it is targetted at land owners rather than those farming the land.

Manageing water run off and drainge is a major challenge for  Dutch Farmers.

It is also intended to try and support specific practices such as land set aside, hedgerow plantings, bio-diversity and so on, rather than being production focussed.  This is interesting given that within NZ there is increasing expectations from NZ society that the farmer should be doing this anyway, and carrying the cost within their businesses.  In Europe the arguement is that if society wants to have the farm land maintained, with certain aestetic values, then society needs to pay for it.  Not something I disagree with really, but not something that would be acceptabe in NZ.