Support for new farm policy is support for local food

"Today's decision on the agreement on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is vital to European food production", underlined EPP Group MEPs Peter Jahr and Anne Sander, who negotiated the law package which sets out new rules for European agriculture for the next seven years.

"The CAP gives European farmers confidence for the future and provides incentives to take advantage of climate and environmentally-friendly farming methods”, said Jahr, who negotiated the CAP strategic plans on behalf of the European Parliament.

“The increased funding for ecological measures is unprecedented. Support for the new agriculture policy is support for local food. Our work will also help young farmers and small farms and will support European rural areas”, he said, recalling that the CAP is not ready yet. “As a next step, we are waiting for the Member States to put it into practice with the national strategic plans without adding unnecessary administrative burden."

"This vote in favour of CAP will help to keep our food affordable and its production in Europe close to consumers. It guarantees the quality of our European products and ensures a balance between the economic, social and ecological sustainability of European farming”, said Sander, who was the EPP Group's negotiator for the two regulations which govern the financing and management of CAP and regulate the agricultural markets.

“We have seen some political attacks from the far-left and the Greens trying to vote this CAP down. Doing so would only cause unnecessary uncertainty for farmers all over Europe, would go against the objective of European food autonomy and increase food imports. That alternative is neither social nor sustainable”, concluded Sander.