Liam Aylward MEP and Member of the European Parliament Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development has called on the Commission to stop delaying their announcement of the budget of the next Multiannual Financial Framework and the proposed allocation to CAP within this framework as the negotiations on the future of European agriculture need to be moved forward and farmers need to be in a position to plan ahead.
 
Speaking the in the European Parliament in Strasbourg yesterday evening during a debate with the European Commissioner for Agriculture Dacian Ciolos, Mr Aylward stated:
 
“The negotiations regarding the future CAP post 2013 are effectively taking place in a vacuum as we have no indication of the budget.  The delivery of public goods and security of food supply comes at a cost and farmers need to know that they will get a fair return for their efforts; they also need to be in position to plan ahead”.  
 
 “The proposal from the European Commission on the CAP released at the end of last year was useful as a signpost for where the Commission sees the CAP going in terms of targeting active farmers and “greening” the CAP but without the structure of a budget outline to work with, no real progress can be made in shaping the new policy and we are working in the dark”.
 
The European Commission intends to prepare legislative proposals on the CAP by summer 2011. The CAP needs a robust budget that will ensure the continued delivery of public goods, a fair return for farmers for their work and secure food supply for European citizens.