Organic calls for environmentally ambitious CAP SPs – The Parliament approved disappointing new CAP Regulation

Organic reclaims environmentally ambitious CAP SPs – The Parliament approved disappointing new CAP Regulation

On 23 November 2021, the European Parliament’s Plenary adopted the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) (2023-2027) Regulation with 452 votes in favour, 178 votes against, and 57 abstentions. The CAP Strategic Plans Regulation leaves much flexibility to Member States, who urgently need to improve the environmental ambition of their national CAP plans and better support organic farming. Read more in our press release.

After months of debates during the Trialogue negotiations, the new CAP (2023-2027) Strategic Plan Regulation does not ensure a strong green architecture nor  fair enough remuneration methods to incentivise farmers to shift towards sustainable farming practices, despite some progressive procedures such as the new social conditionality enhancing farmers and farm workers’ rights.

Despite a 25% ringfencing of the first Pillar’s budget for the new ‘Eco-schemes’ (mandatory for Member States but voluntary for farmers), which was pushed by the Parliament, the new CAP lacks a common level of environmental ambition, and national governments rejected any obligation for the CAP to contribute to the EU Green Deal, Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies .

The rest of the CAP’s green architecture – the nine Good and Agri-Environmental Land Conditions (GAECs) in the first Pillar, and the 35% ringfencing for Agri-Environmental and Climate Measures (AECMs) in the second Pillar – has not changed significantly enough to enable the CAP to properly boost sustainable farming such as organic.

Moreover,  in some countries organic farmers risk losing payments compared to the current situation. Part of the problem lies with  due to a perceived double funding issue, which would prevent organic farmers to be eligible to either AECMs or ‘Eco-schemes’ in some Member States, as highlighted in the evaluation of measures and budgets to support organic agriculture in Members States’ draft CAP Strategic Plans (CAP SPs) we published on 18 November.

This analysis, based on members’ feedback across 19 countries, shows that unless draft CAP national Strategic Plans are significantly improved in several Member States, the new CAP will not contribute to a significant development of organic farming in the EU. You can find the summary in our press release.

IFOAM Organics Europe’s members can read more about our policy activities and next political milestones on our member extranet.

For more information on the CAP and IFOAM Organics Europe’s work on this issue, please contact [email protected], Policy Assistant on Agricultural Policies and the CAP.

IFOAM Organics Europe members can find more information on the member extranet and background materials in the arguments database on the member extranet (main messages, arguments/FAQs, visuals & videos).

For information about what you can gain from being a member, read our membership page and contact [email protected].