43 Amendments of Luke Ming FLANAGAN related to 2018/2037(INI)
Amendment 33 #
Draft opinion
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) is theone of the oldest, most integrated and successful EU policyies, serving as basis for European integration, and should remain a common policy with an ambitious budget;
Amendment 52 #
Draft opinion
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the CAP’s goals should be to ensure a viable income for those working on the land as set out in Article 39 of the TFEU in addition to food safety and sovereignty, and the resilience and sustainability of the EU’s agriculture systems and territories;
Amendment 54 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the Commission’s communication on the Future of Food and Farming acknowledges that the common agricultural policy (CAP) is theone of the oldest and most integrated policy in the EU and is enabling the EU farming sector to respond to citizens’ demands regarding not only food security, safety, quality and sustainability, but also environmental care, climate change action and high animal welfare standards;
Amendment 67 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas the European Union’s overarching objective of multifunctional agriculture, driven by family farmsustainable agricultural practices, remains key to delivering the positive externalities and public goods that European citizens demandhave indicated a willingness to support;
Amendment 72 #
Draft opinion
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the CAP, as a sectorial and common policy, should encourage and strengthen the contribution each farmer makes towards meeting environmental challenges, and should promote the transition towards an agriculture combining the economic viability of farming enterprises with environmental performance standards and climate mitigation measures;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas over the years the CAP has undergone regular re-programming in line with new challenges, but another step in this continuous process of modernisation and simplificzation, building on previous reforms, is now necessary, in addition to genuine simplification which despite commitments has not been delivered thus far;
Amendment 90 #
Draft opinion
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas greening measures are complex and inefficient but a strong environmental focus should remain in Pillar I ;
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the new delivery model (NDM) is at the core of the Commission’s communication on the Future of Food and Farming, and is to be welcomedmay prove beneficial, provided that it ensures genuine simplification for farmers on the ground, not only at EU level but also at Member State and regional level, and flexibility for farmers, without adding new constraints on Member States or undermining the commonality of the CAP and thus a new layer of complexity;
Amendment 122 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the CAP must play an important role in overcoming stagnation and volatility of farm incomes which, despite the concentration and intensification of production and increasing productivity, are still lower than in othe restr sectors of the economy; which undermines the viability of the rural areas;
Amendment 132 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Calls for a CAP that has its top priority the transition of each European farm towards an undertaking combining the economic viability of farming enterprises with environmental performance standards and climate mitigation measures;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas over the last few years farmers have been confronted with increasing price volatility, which is linked to the globalization of agriculture, which has reflected price fluctuations on globalworld markets and uncertainty caused by macroeconomic developments, external policies, sanitary crises and more frequent extreme weather events in the EU;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas it is essential to ensure a fair standard of living for those working the land as set out in Article 39 of the Treaty of Rome, across regions and Member States, affordable prices for citizens and consumers, and access to quality food and healthy diets, while delivering on the commitments for environmental care, climate action, and animal and plant health and welfare;
Amendment 179 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls for a first pillar, defined at EU level, that recognises the importance of direct aid and that includes, as a share of up to 30 % of the pillar budget, a contractual incitement scheme for a transition towards an agriculture combining economic with environmental performance standards, recognizing that agriculture has been assigned many new roles in environmental protection and climate mitigation measures that are not remunerated by the market place;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H
Recital H
H. whereas there is a need for an updated and fairer system of payments, as in many Member States the current system of entitlements is based on historic benchmarks which are now almost 20 years old and in themselves were not a true reflection of production levels at the time, and which constitute an obstacle to generational renewal and hinder young farmers’ access to farmland, as new entrants do not possess entitlements and are thus at a disadvantage;
Amendment 198 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Believes that agroforestry should be promoted in the second pillar as it can contribute significantly to the required environmental and climate change mitigation actions required; agroforestry can be defined as “the deliberate integration of woody vegetation as an upper storey on land, with pasture or an agricultural crop in the lower storey. The woody species can be evenly or unevenly distributed or occur on the border of plots. The woody species can deliver forestry or agricultural products or other ecosystem services"; further believes that agroforestry is able to increase resilience at farm and landscape level, therefore reinforcing the objectives of the CAP;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas the emergence of new challengdirection of agriculture policies, such as increasing global trade, is necessitating fair and has had a detrimental effect on farm incomes and fair sustainable conditions for the global exchange of goods and services, within the framework of the WTO and in accordance with existing EU social, economic and environmental standards, which should be promoted;
Amendment 246 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Asks the Commission to ensure that each imported agricultural product meets the same sanitary, phytosanitary and social standards that EU products are held to; asks the Commission to conduct a systematic impact assessment of the provisions regarding the agricultural sector in each trade agreement, recognizing that agriculture is often most adversely affected in FTAs, and to offer specific strategies to ensure that no agricultural sector will suffer as a result of a trade agreement concluded with a third country.
Amendment 256 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas there is a contradiction in insisting that the agriculture and food sector must be incentivised to continue to contribute to the environmental care and climate action objectives of the EU as set out in international agreements such as the Paris Agreement and the UN SDGs while pursuing trade agreements with countries who do not adhere to the same standards;
Amendment 266 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)
Recital K a (new)
Ka. whereas that agroforestry should be promoted as it can contribute significantly to the required environmental and climate change mitigation actions required;
Amendment 272 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K b (new)
Recital K b (new)
Kb. whereas agroforestry can be defined as “the deliberate integration of woody vegetation as an upper storey on land, with pasture or an agricultural crop in the lower storey;
Amendment 273 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K c (new)
Recital K c (new)
Kc. whereas the woody species can be evenly or unevenly distributed or occur on the border of plots.
Amendment 274 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K d (new)
Recital K d (new)
Kd. whereas the woody species can deliver forestry or agricultural products or other ecosystem services”, further believes that agroforestry is able to increase resilience at farm and landscape level, therefore reinforcing the objectives of the CAP;
Amendment 281 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L
Recital L
L. whereas the European Court of Auditors has underlined the fact that the green payments introduced as part of the 2013 reform create added complexity and bureaucracy, are difficult to understand, and fail to significantly enhance the CAP’s environmental and climate performance, believes however that a strong environmental focus must remain in Pillar I;
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M
Recital M
M. whereas the objectives of the Cork 2.0 Declaration for a Better Life in Rural Areas stipulate vibrant rural areas, multi- functionality, biodiversity in and outside agriculture, rare animal breeds, agroforestry and conservation crops, as well as organic agriculture, less-favoured areas and commitments in the context of Natura 2000;
Amendment 359 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the intention to simplify and modernise the CAP, but emphasises that the ability of farmers to generate a return from their enterprise, the sustainable use of our natural resources, the integrity of the single market and a truly common policy must be the overriding priorities of reform;
Amendment 385 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Points out that even the flexibility that Member States currently enjoy in defining basic rules may risk distorting competition within the single market and granting unequal access to support for famers in different Member States or even in different regions which has the potential to undermine the effectiveness of the CAP;
Amendment 411 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Considers that subsidiarity for Member States should only be granted within a common set of rules and tools agreed at EU level as part of a uniform approach to all programming efforts and eligibility criteria, should cover both of the CAP’s pillars and ensure, in particular, a European approach in Pillar II and thus a level playing fields measures aimed at addressing environmental concerns or implementing climate mitigation measures must be delivered in a coherent manner across the EU as a whole in order for them to be effective;
Amendment 449 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the efforts of the Commission to establish programme design, implementation and control of an output-based approach in order to foster performance rather than compliance, while ensuring adequate monitoring and measures to identify and counteract the recognized problem of "gold plating" at national level, via clearly defined, solid and measurable indicators at EU level, including an appropriate system of quality control and penalties;
Amendment 531 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Considers it necessary to maintain the current two-pillared architecture, particularly Pillar I, which is dedicated to income support for farmers; considers it necessary, at the same time, to compensate for the provision of public goods, which are not remunerated for by the market place, on the basis of uniform criteria, while allowing Member States to take specific approaches to reflect local conditions;
Amendment 557 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Considers that the current CAP architecture can only deliver its objectives if sufficiently funded, noting that agriculture has been assigned many new roles in climate mitigation measures and the provision of public goods that are not remunerated by the market place; calls, therefore, for the CAP budget to be maintained in the next MFF at at least the current level in order to achieve the ambitions of a revised and efficient CAP beyond 2020;
Amendment 610 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Believes that more targeted support for family farms is necessaryis necessary for sustaining the family farm and can be achieved by introducing a compulsory higher support rate for small farms the area of which must be decided at Member State level given the wide disparity of average farm size within the Member States; considers, moreover, that support for larger farms should be digressive, reflecting economies of scale, with the possibility for capping to be decided by the Member States;
Amendment 650 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Underlines the necessity of identifying the key elements of a transparent and objective system of penalties and incentives for determining farmers’ eligibility for public funding, combined with a transparent and timely appeals system that farmers can have confidence in, which should consist of voluntary and mandatory measures;
Amendment 685 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Calls for the existing system for calculating direct payments in Pillar I, which is often based on historic entitlements, to be replaced by an EU-wide uniform method of calculating payments, in order to make the system simpler and, more transparent and credible to the public;
Amendment 698 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Believes that these new payments should not become tradable commodities in order to ensure their effectiveness in the long term;
Amendment 748 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Stresses the need for a fair distribution of direct payments betweeoth between and within Member States, which must take into account socio- economic differences, different production costs and the amounts received by Member States under Pillar II;
Amendment 829 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Recalls that generational renewal is a challenge faced by famers in many Member States and that each national strategy must therefore address this issue through a comprehensive approach, including top-ups in Pillar I and targeted measures in Pillar II, as well as by means of new financial instruments and national measures, believes that in order to incentivise famers to pass on their farming operations a retirement package must be also be considered;
Amendment 851 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. believes that the root cause of the lack of young farmers in agriculture is the lack of profitability in most farming enterprises, stresses that tackling this broader issue in agriculture is fundamental to attracting the younger generation into farming;
Amendment 987 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Believes that this new framework should be underpinned by the possible allocation of a minimum amount of the total available budget to AEMs, including organic agriculture, support for biodiversity, promotion and support for agroforestry and genetic diversity in animals and plants;
Amendment 1006 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Believes that in addition a dedicated EU wide support program for Natura 2000 areas should be introduced to support and maintain these valuable reservoirs of biodiversity;
Amendment 1127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Insists on the critical need for the future CAP to support farmers more efficiently in order to cope with price and income volatility due to climate, health and market risks, by creating additional incentives for flexible risk managitically evaluating future free trade agreements and stabilisation tools while ensuring broad accesrecognizing that agriculture is often most adversely affected in FTAs;
Amendment 1173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Insists on the necessity of strengthening the position of producimary producers and farmers within the food supply chain, in particular by guaranteeing them adequate genuine competition in the input, processing and retail sectors, in addition to a fair share of the added value, by fostering inter-sectoral cooperation, and strengthening transparency in the markets and crisis prevention;
Amendment 1229 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Believes that while trade agreements are beneficial to the EU agricultural sector overall, and necessary for strengthening the EU’s position on the global agriculturalbetween nations is undoubtedly beneficial and necessary, agriculture is too important a sector to be completely exposed to the “free market”, they also pose a number of challenges that require reinforced safeguard mechanisms to ensure a level playing field between farmers in the EU and in the rest of the world provision of our food is wrapped up in a complex equation of food production, land management, environmental protection, provision of public goods and social needs and cannot be viewed in a one-dimensional manner, a commodity to be produced at the lowest cost possible;
Amendment 1277 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Calls for initiatives to promote EU production, safety and environmental standards, short supply chains which can reduce food miles and quality production schemes, through both labelling and marketing activities on internal and third-country markets;