The NFU has praised Defra’s pledge to allow English farmers who are thinking about entering or renewing agri-environment agreements to opt-out without penalty if they had to make changes to their agreements as a result of CAP greening. 
NFU senior CAP adviser Gail Soutar said: “Since the CAP reform proposals were published in early October, we have spoken to many farmers who are confused and uncertain whether they should commit themselves to agri-environment agreements such as ELS. Those farmers certainly want to sign up and make long term commitments for the environment, but the spectre of CAP reform, particularly the proposals to “green” the direct payments which may result in more land out of production has put a brake on things.
“We’ve been lobbying government hard to make a statement that it will do everything possible to ensure that English farmers aren’t disadvantaged from being ahead of the game on environmental management. So the Minister’s pledge to make sure that farmers who are thinking about entering or renewing agri-environment agreements can choose to opt out without penalty if changes are necessary as a result of greening is extremely welcome and will provide a great deal of reassurance to farmers in the absence of legal certainty which is at least 18 months away.
“I’m also pleased to see that Defra is absolutely committed to being active participants in the CAP reform negotiations to get the best possible deal for the UK. In the past the UK Government has pursued CAP reform policies which have placed UK negotiators on the margins of the debate to the detriment of British farmers. It is absolutely critical that we have a strong voice in Europe, working with other member states for a policy that upholds the modern sustainable farming systems we have in Britain.”
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