The Government must show leadership by setting out a positive future for the countryside and be willing to pay for its social and environmental public benefits says a key Parliamentary Committee [1] in its latest report published on Wednesday 23 May.

CPRE [2] strongly welcomes the findings of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee report following its inquiry into the Government’s heavily criticised Vision for the CAP [3] published at the end of its Presidency of the EU in December 2005.

The Committee is calling for the Common Agricultural Policy to be dismantled and for the creation of a new sustainable land management policy for the EU. CPRE gave evidence to the Committee and agrees with its main recommendation that the Government should set out a clear plan for the transition from the CAP to a new rural policy for the EU and carefully considers what the costs of managing our countryside under the new policy might be.

‘We urgently need the new approach suggested by the committee. But it’s absolutely vital that the Government ensures that in its rush to cut agricultural support to farmers it doesn’t end up damaging the industry on which the new policy will depend to deliver the environmental and other public goods society needs,’ said Ian Woodhurst, CPRE’s farming campaigner.

CPRE believes the forthcoming EU wide review of the CAP in 2008 and the EU Budget Review in 2009 present crucial ideal opportunities for the Government to set out how a new policy that protects our countryside and rewards farmers for the land management activities they undertake can be achieved.

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NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (EFRA) Committee published its report The UK Government’s ‘Vision for the Common Agricultural Policy’, Fourth report of Session 2006-07, Volume 1 on 23 May 2007. The report is available from www.parliament.uk/efracom

2. CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a charity which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England. We advocate positive solutions for the long-term future of the countryside. Founded in 1926, we have 60,000 supporters and a branch in every county. President: Sir Max Hastings. Patron: Her Majesty The Queen.

3. Defra and The Treasury jointly published their Vision for the CAP in December 2005 setting out a vision for the future of the European Union’s Common Agricultural Policy. It is available from http://www.defra.gov.uk/farm/capreform/index.htm

4. CPRE submitted written evidence and appeared before the EFRA Committee to give further evidence. CPRE believes that the Government’s vision paper does not adequately address how environmental and other public goods would be secured.