Today Commissioner Phil Hogan welcomed the fourth Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS) report, putting together the work done for the past three years in this area. During this mandate, a key priority was to further integrate knowledge and innovation in agriculture across the EU.
Between 2016 and 2017, poverty rates in rural areas continued to decrease, reaching 24% in 2017. During the same period, the share of organic farming area in the EU rose to 7%. These are among the key findings of the latest update of the common agricultural policy (CAP) indicators, which contribute to the assessment of the CAP’s performance.
Since the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform of 2013, the administrative costs linked to the CAP did not substantially increase for farmers, representing 2% of the total aid received. As for costs for national authorities, they are estimated at around 3% of the CAP budget, having increased by a third since the implementation of a new system to control and manage payments in 2013. Those are among the main findings of the study ‘Analysis of administrative burden arising from the CAP’, published today by the European Commission.
Young farmers are the focus of support policies of the Common Agricultural Policy, they will continue to be the focus in the next programming period. This was announced by the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Forestry Desislava Taneva at the opening of the second National Forum of Young Farmers at the Agricultural University - Plovdiv, organised by the MEP from the European People's Party Vladimir Urutchev.
Agriculture, forestry and other rural sectors are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The common agricultural policy (CAP) has therefore a key role to play in promoting climate mitigation and supporting these sectors to adapt to climate change.
Water is an essential component of agri-food production. But while many fruits and vegetables are an excellent source of water, growing them often also requires significant quantities of water. Without sufficient, good quality and easily accessible water, European agri-food production could be under threat.
New opportunities to arise for the European plant protein market, suggests a study published by the European Commission today. The study concludes that the increased consumer demand for organic and genetically modified (GM)-free supply chains, combined with a rise in the number of flexitarian, vegetarian and vegan diets will expand markets for pulses and processed plant proteins.
As part of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) proposals for 2021-2027, a new tool is being developed to help farmers manage the use of nutrients on their farm. The Farm Sustainability Tool for Nutrients (FaST), proposed in the framework of the Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAECs), aims to facilitate a sustainable use of fertilisers for all farmers in the EU while boosting the digitisation of the agricultural sector.
Rural areas make up 44% to 80% of every EU country. These diverse territories play home to a wide variety of flora and fauna, wonderful wildlife and natural environments. They provide food and resources that contribute to jobs, growth and prosperity, and help to maintain cultural heritage. Rural areas are truly at the heart of Europe.
EU member states will have to deal with the generational renewal of the EU farming sector “whether they like it or not,” young farmers say. And to do so, they first need to support a strong budget for the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), they argue.
“As generational renewal is one of the CAP’s nine objectives, member states will be obliged to tackle this issue whether they like it or not,” Jannes Maes, president of the EU young farmers’ association (CEJA), told EURACTIV.com.