Farmers need time to adjust to new CAP, says EU group

Farmers and co-operatives must not be penalised unfairly in the first years of the Common Agricultural Policy reform, their umbrella body Copa-Cogeca has warned.

It said it will be pressing hard in 2015 to ensure that EU farmers and co-ops are given time to adapt to the new measures.

Copa-Cogeca working party chairman Udo Hemmerling said greening under the new CAP is proving burdensome for farmers, but basic questions on how to implement the new rules also remain unanswered.