Cap Reform

EDM number 1147 in 1990-91, proposed by Paul Marland on 16/07/1991.

That this House is concerned that the European Commission's new proposals for CAP reform would increase the immediate budgetary costs of the CAP, initiate a system of support requiring ever higher levels of subsidy to compensate for its anti-economic effect upon the competitiveness of European agriculture and discriminate against the United Kingdom's farmers, in terms of available support, and against the United Kingdom's taxpayers who would have to bear a disproportionate share of the escalating costs; questions therefore the appropriateness of using the word 'reform' to describe the proposals; congratulates the Minister of Agriculture for exposing the shortcomings of the Commission's approach and on his resolute stance in support of real reform of the CAP which would reduce the cost of agricultural support to taxpayers and consumers, allow a greater proportion of the available support to reach farmers directly, place greater emphasis on reconciling agricultural and environmental interest and meeting the costs of environmentally sensitive countryside management, protect those in marginal areas and place the burdens of reform equally upon all member states; believes farmers recognises the Minister's steadfast defence of the country's interest, as evidenced by the unexpectedly advantageous agreement secured in this year's price fixing, and overwhelmingly support his reform of the CAP which will safeguard the future of agriculture in the United Kingdom and to maintain his clear-headed resistance to reform for its own sake.

This motion has been signed by a total of 39 MPs.