Farm leaders urge commissioner to maintain CAP direct aid payments

EUROPEAN farm and co-op leaders have urged the new Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Dacian Ciolos, to maintain Common Agricultural Policy direct aid payments to in a bid to safeguard a viable and competitive EU agriculture sector.

Padraig Walshe, president of COPA, the European farmers union, said he was pleased Mr Ciolos wants to maintain a robust CAP, post 2013, with direct aid payments to farmers, coupled with a sufficiently large budget.

In view of the increasing market volatility and the sharp drop of 12.2% on average in EU farmers’ incomes in 2009, it is more important than ever to maintain market stability, he said.