Future agricultural policy the main topic at the Agriculture Council

The Agriculture and Fisheries Council meets in Brussels on 29 January 2018. This is the first meeting under the Bulgarian Presidency in spring 2018. The Agriculture Ministers will continue the discussions on the future of the common agricultural policy (CAP). The Finnish representative at the meeting is Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Jari Leppä.

The Bulgarian Presidency will organise thematic discussions on the future CAP at this spring’s Agriculture and Fisheries Council meetings. In particular, the Council will talk about the added value and objectives of the CAP and distribution of the implementation tasks of the future policy between Member States and the EU. The talks will be based on the Commission Communication on the future of the CAP, “the Future of Food and Farming”, published in November. 

Finland supports the key objectives of the future CAP proposed by the Commission, including enhanced crises resilience and strengthening the environmental and climate measures and rural viability. Promoting competitive agricultural production, securing the conditions for production in all regions of the Community and boosting the bioeconomy and circular economy are also important.  Finland considers that aiming for a high standard of food safety and welfare of farm animals is the correct approach in view of the future of European farming. 

The common agricultural policy aims to produce added value by guaranteeing food security, a reasonable income level for farmers, reasonable consumer prices, and functioning internal markets within the EU. For Finland it is important that the common policy also responds to the climate and environmental challenges.  

For a long time Finland had stressed the need to simplify the common agricultural policy. This finds support in the Commission proposals concerning the role of strategic planning in policy implementation and giving more power to Member States in the planning and design of support schemes. Member States should have more freedom to decide on the measures that are the right ones considering the specific circumstances in each country. 

The Agriculture Ministers will also hear the Commission’s state-of-play reports on the market situation and international trade negotiations. In the Finnish view, the Commission should continue to monitor the market situation of individual products very closely to enable early preparation for future market fluctuations. 

Inquiries at the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry:
Kari Valonen,  Director, Head of EU Coordination and International Affairs, tel. +358 295 16 162 269
email: forename.surname(at)mmm.fi