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Policy

• Farm regulation & charging
• Sustainable farming and food
• CAP reform
• Farming for the Future Programme
• Other EU & International issues

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• Defra's five year strategy
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Farming: policy

Introduction

The Government's policy is to secure an environment in which a competitive and sustainable agricultural industry with a strong market focus can flourish.

The outcome of the Agenda 2000 negotiations led to a significant shift away from price support to direct payments under CAP Reform. In doing so the emphasis moved from production-based support towards environmental and rural development measures.

Looking forward, by 2020 we want English agriculture to be profitable in the marketplace, continuing to produce the majority of the food we consume; making a positive net environmental contribution, notably in respect of climate change, but also more widely; and managing the landscape and the natural assets that underlie it.

• The Farming for the Future Programme aims to enable the farming industry to achieve the above vision
• Farm regulation and charging strategy - the strategy commits the Government to improving the way it regulates and enforces regulation, to reduce bureaucracy and improve farmers’capacity to help protect the environment, animal health and welfare, food safety and worker safety
• Sustainable farming & food - sets out action towards a new strategy for sustainable, diverse, modern and adaptable farming, integrated with the rest of the food chain and taking into account the needs of the environment and rural economy - this includes the Food Industry Sustainability Strategy (FISS) and the Public Sector Food Produrement Initiative (PSFPI)
• Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) - information on CAP reform in England.

Other material

• A Joint (Industry/Government) Working Group on Sharing Responsibilities and Costs of Animal Disease has been established.
• Levy Boards - In June 2006 UK agriculture Ministers announced that there would be a radical restructuring of the UK and GB statutory horticulture and agriculture levy bodies.
• Livestock strategy - covering livestock and red meat chain issues from animal breeding, through livestock production systems and primary processing, to retail/catering.
• International agricultural policy
• EU enlargement - information on what enlargement of the European Union means for agriculture, environment and fisheries in the EU
• World Trade Organization negotiations on agriculture - an overview of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on agriculture
• State aid - information aimed at administrators within Government Departments and agencies, local authorities and other Government bodies who are considering paying out State aid
• Genetic resources for food and agriculture - information about Defra's role in the conservation and sustainable use of genetic resources for food and agriculture.
• England Rural Development Programme - schemes to develop rural businesses as well as to conserve and improve the environment. The other three United Kingdom devolved Agriculture Departments have their own Rural Development Plans.
• Observatory Programme has been set up to monitor the impacts on the environment of the 2003 CAP reform measures and other key drivers of agricultural change.

• Whole Farm Approach - Defra's electronic service to develop an integrated access point to Defra and related agencies for farmers and growers

Page last modified: 5 February 2008
Page published: 1 July 2006

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