Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 373: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his negotiating position on the greening section set out in Commissioner Ciolos's Common Agriculture Policy proposals in early October. [32330/11]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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First I should emphasise that I am not opposed to greening of the CAP. Ireland actively promotes sustainable and carbon-efficient agricultural production and this concept is at the heart of our Food Harvest 2020 Strategy. However, I have considerable difficulty with the Commission proposals as they stand. The existence of a separate greening measure will complicate our existing Single Payment Scheme. It will also hasten the movement to flat rates of payment. The flat rate character of the greening proposal poses a major problem for me when taken together with the proposed flattening of the basic payment.

I am conscious that the CAP already delivers considerable greening, particularly in Ireland. Our predominantly grass-based production is already contributing significantly to the delivery of environmental objectives through the retention of soil carbon, the retention of grassland habitats and the protection of water quality associated with grassland. My view is that we need to look at less bureaucratic and simpler means of further greening the CAP, building on what we have already achieved through cross compliance and Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) requirements.

I also have problems with the individual greening criteria proposed. My initial reaction is that they require a lot more work. However, I am conscious that these are proposals only that have yet to be clarified and explained and I intend to work constructively with the Commission and other Member States to achieve an outcome that is both practical for farmers and effective in terms of achieving environmental sustainability.