CAP greening must allow arable farmers to respond to market signals, says NFU
Greening measures being discussed as part of the current CAP reform process will seriously damage the competitiveness of UK cereal farmers at a time when we are being asked to grow more, the NFU said today.
Following a successful trip to Strasbourg to meet with key MEPs involved in the CAP negotiations, NFU combinable crops board chairman Andrew Watts believes producers’ ability to respond to market signals and consumer requirements will be diminished, if greening proposals are not considered much more carefully.
Speaking at the start of this year’s Cereals event, Mr Watts said that greening threatened the market orientation of the arable sector, potentially requiring farmers to grow inappropriate crops or reduce the productive area of their farm. This contradicts the thrust of previous reforms, which although tough, served to support the sector as it became more market oriented.
“This threat to arable production would be compounded should our own government be given licence to exaggerate distortions in support between English farmers and their neighbours in Europe by persisting with the highest rates of modulation possible”, he said. “Our calculations show that if the changes Defra is seeking were to be implemented, a German arable farmer could potentially receive a payment more than 50 per cent greater than his English counterpart.”
While CAP reform negotiations continue, the combinable crops sector also faces a number of other key challenges over the coming months.
One of these will be to ensure our grain supply chains deliver the best possible for our farmers and their customers. The NFU has been working with the industry to develop a means for sharing information on grain quickly and thoroughly enough to support management decisions and to provide robust information on provenance. We believe this information will generate savings and has value, if shared, and are pleased that the Home Grown Cereals Authority (HGCA) is in advanced stages of working up a proposal to deliver feedback of information to farmers and an electronic grain passport to cut duplication and risk of error.
Mr Watts said: “For some dedicated supply chains this collaborative approach between processors, merchants, and farmers has already begun to pay off, and we see broadening the theme as a logical step in securing our competitive edge in home markets as we move into the future.”
Another area of concern for the NFU is crop protection as we begin to see the impact of legislation limit the development of crop protection products in the EU. Mr Watts added: “The pressure on fungicide programmes to protect our crops in a difficult season and the levels of blackgrass currently being seen around the country are timely reminders of our needs to remain focussed on sound agronomic practices as we strive to improve productivity.”
Farm transport is a further area where the NFU has been working hard to allow farmers to adopt technology widely available to improve farm operating efficiency.
Mr Watts said: “If economies are to be made in our production systems it is imperative that transport is modernised in the same way that harvesting and cultivations have in the past few years. There is a catalogue of challenges facing arable members. Our task is simply to enable them to respond to these challenges by assisting with solutions.”
