As Parliament enters final negotiations, two MEPs give their views on capping direct payments to big farms and maintaining some form of position on greening the CAP.

Interview: Tough negotiations ahead on EU agricultural policy

https://api.multimedia.europarl.europa.eu/documents/20125/16389660/n001-130923-002-en.srt

The EU Common Agricultural Policy,  known as the CAP,

which represents the largest part of  EU spending at 45%, is up for reform.

Two of the main aims of the reform are  to make agricultural production more green

and to cap direct payments  going to larger farmers.

As the reform goes into its final stages  in a three-way negotiation

between the EP, the Commission  and European agriculture ministers

before becoming legislation  in January next year,

there are some questions  which remain open.

We talked to French Green MEP José Bové  and UK Conservative Julie Girling

on whether the reforms go far enough  in controlling payments to large farmers

and how tomorrow's negotiations  might affect this.

Personally I think that they go far enough.

In fact, they go too far in that  they do have a mandatory capping element.

I think inevitably it looks like  there will be a cap.

I think that payments  have not been limited sufficiently.

in redistributing funds to small farmers  or to livestock farmers.

So I don't see any real possibility  of negotiation right now.

and the Council will impose  its thinking on the Parliament.

Will the Parliament stand by its position  to make the CAP greener

even if it means jeopardising the reforms  going through in January?

We've always been absolutely clear  what our position is,

so if there's brinkmanship going on, it's not  on Parliament's side, it's on Council's side.

In reality there are  very few greening measures.

So to say today that the CAP is too green  and that there's a threat is not sensible.

because I think it's in no one's interest

to backtrack and to reconsider for  a few details that remain to be discussed.