Further moves by EU ministers to cut level of red tape for farmers

FURTHER steps are being taken by European Union agriculture ministers including Ireland’s Brendan Smith to reduce the level of red tape for farmers.

Mr Smith said yesterday he was working closely with his German colleague and a number of other EU agriculture ministers on the issue.

He described the move as a further push for urgent action to lessen the administrative burden on farmers from EU measures.

The group of ministers is urging Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel to use the opportunity presented by the revision of a key EU regulation to advance the simplification agenda.

Mr Smith said this underlined his continuing efforts to further progress the simplification of procedures and controls in delivering the single payment scheme and other measures and to build on the advances achieved during the CAP Health Check negotiations.

“This most recent concerted effort by like-minded member states to achieve further simplification of the CAP is very positive.

“The primary objective is to reduce red tape and the administrative burden on farmers, making the single payment scheme more effective, efficient and simple,” he said.

Mr Smith said in April that 13 member states presented to the commission a list of 39 specific proposals for simplification of the CAP.

The conclusions of the council in May contained a commitment by the council to continue the simplification process.

Mr Smith said the commission and member states had been requested to consider these proposals during the ongoing discussion of the implementing rules required following the CAP Health Check agreement.

“I welcome the fact that the commissioner responded positively to the proposals made by Ireland and others last April.

“I hope that she will now take this opportunity to ensure that the current revision of the single payment regulation takes full account of these proposals.

“This is what the latest initiative is designed to achieve,” he said.