The Efra Committee inquiry into Farming in the Uplands sought to ‘identify and evaluate the drivers of change in upland communities, and to develop policy recommendations to enable and equip them to move towards more secure, economically prosperous and sustainable futures’. Evidence from 25 organisations (such as the Tenant Farmers Association, National Farmers Union, Country Land and Business Association, and English National Park Authorities Association) informed the Committee’s recommendations.

Foresight reports published in France and the UK examine the challenges facing the global food system between now and 2050, and the policy decisions needed to ensure that a global population rising to nine billion or more can be fed sustainably and equitably.

DG Agriculture has published three new briefings discussing key aspects of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) pertinent to the debate on its future design and structure. These Agricultural Policy Perspectives critically explore how the CAP might evolve in the future and provide an insight to the Commission’s stance on the future for direct payments, market measures and rural development within the CAP.

The Agriculture Council met in Brussels on Tuesday 14th December for the last meeting under the 2010 Belgium Presidency. Support for Less Favoured Areas, greening of Pillar One and simplification were among the key issues discussed together with major discussions surrounding the Commission’s dairy reform as well as a revision of the EU quality rules.

Two new reports have been published that evaluate the operation of specific Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) policy measures. The Commission’s report focuses on evaluating the implementation of the Farm Advisory System (FAS) to date and the European Court of Auditors’ report looks at the effectiveness of the Leader approach.

The European Commission’s blueprint for a future CAP has sparked a variety of reactions from both lobbyists and stakeholders. Cap2020 has brought together a selection of responses to the Communication which can be viewed in this article.

The Communication published by the European Commission on 18 November (COM(2010) 672 final) represents a potentially bold move to reorient the CAP into a policy that meets the needs of EU society and the challenges – economic, social and environmental – of the next decade. However, the paper is stronger on ideas than specifics.

A new IEEP report analyses the indirect land use change (ILUC) impact of the substantial additional biofuel usage that will be generated up to 2020 by the targets under the EU renewable energy Directive. IEEP’s report examines the likely impact of biofuels in terms of physical change in land usage patterns and consequent greenhouse gas emissions.

Talks at the October Agriculture Council mostly centred on the simplification measures proposed by the Commission to bring the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in line with the Lisbon Treaty. In the margins it emerged that a meeting was planned between the EU-12 Agriculture Ministers, convened by Polish Minister Marek Sawicki in response to the Franco-German position paper.

A draft copy of the Commission’s much anticipated Communication on the future CAP, expected to be launched formally on 17 November, has been leaked ahead of its release into inter-service consultation.

Agriculture Ministers met on 19-21 September for the last Informal Agriculture Council ahead of the release of the Commission’s Communication on the future of the CAP post 2013.

A common position from France and Germany on the future of the CAP was released on 14 September, in advance of the Informal Agriculture Council in La Hulpe and the anticipated publication of the Commission’s Communication on the EU Budget, due at the end of September. The position paper, with the strapline ‘new challenges and expectations for food, biomass and environment’ calls for a strong CAP with a greater emphasis on market orientation as well as the exploration of insurance schemes and mutual funds to stabilise farmer’s incomes.

The Belgium Presidency has released a seven page working document ahead of the forthcoming Informal Agriculture Council to be held in La Hulpe on 19-21 September. The document, entitled ‘Choosing today for a stronger CAP tomorrow’ forms the background for discussion at the Informal meeting.

A new report has been released by the World Bank on factors influencing the 2006-2008 commodity price boom. The paper, which is co-authored by DG Agri economics chief Tassos Haniotis, highlights higher energy prices as having been the main factor in driving up food prices.

A new report released by the European Environment Agency (EEA) on mountain ecosystems in Europe highlights the importance of these areas for biodiversity and lists agricultural intensification and abandonment as key threats.

The Danish Presidency of the EU began on 1 January 2012 outlining four principal themes for the forthcoming six months: 'A responsible Europe; a dynamic Europe; a green Europe; and a safe Europe’. In terms of the CAP reform discussions, the Danish EU Presidency and the Danish Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Mette Gjerskov, have stressed the need for both a green and market-oriented CAP.

The Commission published its Legal Proposals for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after 2013 on 12 October 2011. This is the first time that decisions on CAP reform have involved the European Parliament as well as the European Council under the ordinary legislative procedure. As such there is considerable uncertainty as to how long the process of negotiation and reaching agreement will take.

Today’s proposals from the Commission on the future CAP could have represented a major step towards improved environmental management across the EU, but in practice they leave major doubts over how much really will be delivered. Bold ambitions to green the CAP have become diluted by a focus on increasing the legitimacy of direct payments to farmers - at the expense of measures capable of maximising the delivery of environmental public goods. One of the reasons for this is that the new green payments under Pillar 1 have to be applicable in all parts of the EU and paid annually. This creates real challenges for sustaining substantive environmental improvements over time.

The leaked CAP proposals have sparked initial reactions by a number of policy stakeholders.