Let farmers farm, don’t cut funds

With today’s approval of the Parliament’s report on the future of European agriculture, the EPP Group reaffirms its commitment to farmers and to a strong, modern Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

However, this is at risk due to the European Commission’s proposal for the next long-term EU budget, presented in July. The Commission’s draft sidelines the CAP, cuts resources, and dilutes its distinct identity by merging it with other instruments.

"As it stands now, the Common Agricultural Policy risks being sidelined in the long-term EU budget. This is unacceptable, and we will fight to have it rewritten. We want to see our farmers strong and well-funded," said Carmen Crespo Díaz MEP, the Parliament’s lead negotiator on the future of agriculture.

"For the EPP Group, the message is simple: cut the red tape, reduce the burden, and let farmers farm. Simplify, simplify, simplify! Farmers face rising competition and economic shocks. It is not fair to expect them to grow more food with less harm to the environment and still compete with cheap imports, like low-cost grain from abroad, without any help," Crespo Díaz added.

"A fair CAP must remain truly common – it must protect direct payments to farmers, drive innovation and generational renewal, and guarantee fair market conditions. That means no cuts, no nationalisation of the CAP, and no attempts to merge its funding with other EU programmes," she stressed.

"We want farmers to use new technologies to improve productivity, sustainability, and innovation. Now, too many rules are holding them back. For example, a family-run vegetable farm spends months navigating bureaucratic hurdles to get approval for organic certification, delaying their ability to sell at higher prices. This is the change we want in the CAP – real progress," Crespo Díaz concluded.