CAP does not fit

Yesterday, as it unveiled one of its most important reform packages of recent times, it again succeeded in doing so.

It is quite an achievement to unite such disparate groups as the UK Government, the National Farmers Union, the Taxpayers’ Alliance, Friends of the Earth, local MPs, local MEPs and the Country Land and Business Association.

Yet the Eurocrats have somehow brought every one of them together, in total condemnation of their proposals to reform the Common Agricultural Policy.

The NFU is absolutely right to describe this as a “missed opportunity”.

Yet again, Europe has come up with an overly-complicated set of measures which are highly unlikely to achieve their stated aims of sustainable and inclusive growth.

Yet again it is Britain’s hard-pressed farmers and over-wrought taxpayers who will end up paying the price.

It is worth remembering that despite repeated reforms stretching back decades, the CAP still sucks up around 40 per cent of the EU’s entire, hugely-inflated budget.

These latest measures will reduce that figure by a mere fraction. In times of such austerity, this is simply not good enough.

Measures aiming to make farming greener are of course laudable, but neither the Government, environmental groups nor the farmers themselves think they will be effective.

The sad reality is that we have been here many, many times before with the CAP.

The one thing that unites all parties concerned is that reform is desperately needed.

Yesterday’s dismal announcement suggests this may well remain the case for many years to come.