Double funding for greening measures hot topic in talks
The Commission had proposed that 30% of direct payments would be conditional on farmers implementing three greening measures — crop diversification, ecological focus areas (7%) and not reducing permanent grassland. Penalties over-and-above docking the 30% of payments are also in the Commission proposal (but subject to a maximum of 7.5% of basic payment).
Certain agri-environment packages would be equivalent to greening (‘green by definition’, such as organic, REPS, AEOS). But the Commission insists farmers cannot receive double funding for green measures, warning this would be illegal under international trade rules.
This possibility of farmers being paid twice for doing the same thing for the environment was accepted by the Parliament’s agriculture committee, but rejected by the full Parliament in Strasbourg.
This puts MEPs and the Commission on a collision course with the Council position, which would allow farmers to receive ‘double funding’ for green measures from direct payments and from rural development measures (but with some scope for the Commission to overrule a member state). The Parliament insists that farmers applying the mandatory “greening” measures would have to do extra to protect the environment, to be eligible for additional funding from the rural development budget.
But MEPs agreed that organic farmers shall be automatically considered “green”.
MEPs require an initial farm area of only 3% for ecological focus (EFA), rising to 5% in 2016 — a weakening of the 7% proposed by the Commission.
The Council is at a 5% EFA starting point (but deletes the requirement that this must be arable land), and would allow 50% of EFA requirements to be applied at regional or collective levels.
As part of MEPs’ insistence on administrative simplification and transparency, they are against additional penalties for farmers who apply mandatory greening measures, saying it is enough that they lose the 30% greening component of their direct payments.
They disagree on this with the council of agriculture ministers, which wants the additional penalties.
However, the council agrees with Ireland’s requirements for greening payment to be applied as a percentage of each farmer’s single payment, rather than as a flat rate per hectare.
With regard to crop diversification, it is likely that farmers with between 10 and 30 hectares of arable land must have two crops.
Farmers with over 30 hectares must have three crops, but winter and spring barley are considered two different crops, so the measure may not be as onerous as feared.
Ministers have proposed no crop diversification is needed on farms where 75% of the land is permanent pasture.
