Brussels, October 23rd, 2020. Concluding an entire week of votes on the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) the European Parliament sealed its position on how agricultural subsidies should be granted to farmers. Against all calls from civil society to MEPs, the vote confirms the adoption of the compromised amendments voted on Tuesday in a rather untransparent and undemocratic way. The change in European agriculture which was ambitioned in Commission’s “Farm to Fork” strategy, has thus been put on hold for the time being. Instead, the unambitious compromise engraves direct payments as the largest block of the agricultural budget. These subsidies, awarded per hectare are not conditioned to any benefits for the common good such as animal welfare, environmental or climate protection.

A glimmer of hope: animal welfare will for the first time become a specific objective of the common agricultural policy. This is reflected in the funding opportunities offered by the proposed Eco-Schemes, which provide optional support for animal welfare. The Parliament offers to spend 30 percent of the EAGF budget on these schemes. A similar agreement has been found in the European Council, even though the deal opts for a much lower amount dedicated to these funding. Nevertheless, farmers who really want to promote greater animal welfare can be rewarded with subsidies from the first pillar.

The Parliament’s position will now be negotiated with the Council and the Commission.