The Common Agricultural Policy: Prospects for Change

This book examines the criticisms of the CAP and analyzes the pressures emanating from the budget, outlining the approaches member states and others were likely to adopt and assessing whether the need for action on the budget will be used as an opportunity to revise the CAP.

Format: Hardback
Length: 126 pages
Publication date: 26 July 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Originally published in 1981, at a time when the EEC's Common Agricultural Policy had remained largely unchanged, this book examines the criticisms of the CAP and analyses the pressures emanating from the budget. It then outlines the approaches that individual member states and others were likely to adopt, and assesses whether the need for action on the budget will be used as an opportunity to revise the CAP.

The CAP has been a subject of much debate and criticism since its inception in 1962. One of the main criticisms is that it has failed to achieve its stated goals of increasing agricultural productivity, reducing food prices, and ensuring food security for all EU citizens. Another criticism is that the CAP has been overly generous to farmers in some countries, leading to overproduction and waste, while failing to provide sufficient support to farmers in other countries.

The CAP has also been criticized for its environmental impact, particularly its contribution to climate change and deforestation. The CAP encourages farmers to produce more food, which requires more land, water, and energy. This has led to deforestation and other environmental degradation, as well as increased greenhouse gas emissions.

In response to these criticisms, the EU has made several attempts to reform the CAP. In 1992, the CAP was reformed with the introduction of the Single Payment Scheme (SPS), which replaced the previous system of subsidies and market interventions. The SPS aimed to provide farmers with a more stable income and to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture.

However, the SPS has also been criticized for its lack of transparency and its failure to address some of the underlying problems of the CAP. For example, the SPS still encourages farmers to produce more food, which can lead to overproduction and waste.

In recent years, there has been growing pressure on the EU to reform the CAP further. Some argue that the CAP should be replaced with a system of direct payments to farmers, which would provide a more stable income and reduce the environmental impact of agriculture. Others argue that the CAP should be reformed to focus more on sustainable agriculture and rural development.

The EU has also been exploring other options for tackling the budget pressures associated with the CAP. One option is to reduce the amount of money spent on the CAP, by reducing the level of subsidies and other payments to farmers. Another option is to increase the efficiency of the CAP, by improving the way that subsidies are distributed and by reducing the administrative burden on farmers.

The EU is currently in the process of negotiating a new CAP reform package, which is expected to be finalised in 2020. The new package is expected to focus more on sustainable agriculture and rural development, and to address some of the underlying problems of the CAP, such as overproduction and waste.

In conclusion, the CAP has been a subject of much debate and criticism since its inception in 1962. While it has achieved some successes, such as increasing agricultural productivity and reducing food prices, it has also failed to achieve its stated goals of ensuring food security for all EU citizens and reducing its environmental impact. The EU has made several attempts to reform the CAP, but has faced challenges in achieving its goals. The EU is currently in the process of negotiating a new CAP reform package, which is expected to focus more on sustainable agriculture and rural development and to address some of the underlying problems of the CAP.

Dimension: 216 x 138 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032483719