Agriculture Working Group

Chair: Gareth Morgan, RSPB
Vice Chair: Ian Woodhurst, CPRE
Secretary: Kirsten Knap

The Agriculture Working Group works to support and deliver a sustainable, high quality, multi-functional rural environment though monitoring policy on rural development, agri-environment, bioenergy, and animal welfare standards. The group leads Link’s CAP Reform Campaign, which calls for a clear route map with measurable milestones for the CAP to evolve into a European Sustainable Land Management Policy by 2020.

QUARTERLY UPDATE: April to June 2010

The reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) continues to be the main focus for Link’s Agriculture Working Group. In April Link and the Joint Links in Wales, Northern Irelandand Scotland, responded to the George Lyon draft report on the future of the CAP after 2013. We were disappointed that the draft did not take into account previous concerns we had raised, particularly for the CAP to evolve into a European Sustainable Land Management Policy.

MEPs have since tabled their amendments to the report and these have now been voted on by the Agriculture Committee of the European Parliament. Outcomes from the amendments were very disappointing and those tabled by NGOs were either rejected or absorbed into broader ‘compromise amendments’ where key messages were lost.

In June Link responded to the public debate on the future of the CAP after 2013, reiterating the importance of public money for public goods. The European Commission has now organised a conference to analyse the responses of the CAP reform public debate. Link will be attending the conference, which takes place on 19-20 July 2010 in Brussels.

This quarter Link has also been undertaking work on pesticides and in May, with the support of 12 member organisations, we submitted a response to Defra’s consultation on implementing European pesticides legislation. Link also attended the Pesticides Forum meeting, which took place in June, where an update on the Sustainable Use Directive was given.