Food security - the importance of the CAP

The objectives of the CAP as set out in Article 33 of the Treaty of Rome can be summarised as follows:

- to increase agricultural productivity,
- thus to ensure a fair standard of living for the agricultural community,
- to stabilise markets,
- to ensure the availability of supplies; and
- to ensure that supplies reach consumers at reasonable prices

The CAP was the first building block in establishing the “Common Market” which over time has been transformed into the EU we have today. Over the years, the CAP has been fundamentally reformed, from a system based primarily on price and market supports to a decoupled direct payment system.

European agriculture has a strong case to make for a continued CAP, including decoupled direct payments, post 2013. The European model of agriculture is a “social contract” between European farmers and the rest of the European society, whereby farmers produce high quality safe food, renewable energy, and certain non - market services particularly environmental protection and enhancement

· Food security, one of the key concerns at the foundation of the CAP is of as much if not more relevance today. Continued food security in Europe through the CAP, is vital. I do not believe that European Governments could leave their consumers at the mercy of a few food exporting countries in the southern hemisphere and a few large multi-national food trading companies.

· Food production in the EU is of the highest quality. Meeting these standards places considerable costs on farmers in the EU. Unless the CAP support system reflects this fact, EU production will not be competitive and food safety and quality will be undermined by imported food from regions of the world where lower standards prevail.

· EU food production also has to meet a range of environmental standards. At the same time, the rain forests in Brazil are being destroyed to create new agricultural land. There is also the issue of “food miles”, i.e. the environmental cost of transporting food half-way around the world, when Europe has the capacity to meet most of the food requirements of our 500 million consumers. However, unless EU farmers have a reasonable level of income, production will decline and farmers will not have the resources to protect and manage the rural environment.

· Agriculture and the related food processing and service industries provide the major economic activity in much of rural Europe. Without a vibrant and profitable farming sector, rural areas will be increasingly abandoned.

Overall, the need to ensure food security, to maintain the family-farm structure, and to allow producers react to changing market conditions should be priorities in any agreement on the future CAP.

Padraig Walshe
IFA President