Independent MEP Marian Harkin today, Tuesday, November 15th, strongly criticised a further attempt to erode the Common Agricultural Policy when a report was passed in the European Parliament on the Social Dimension of Globalisation.

Independent MEP Marian Harkin today, Tuesday, November 15th, strongly criticised a further attempt to erode the Common Agricultural Policy when a report was passed in the European Parliament on the Social Dimension of Globalisation.

“Once again we have had calls for further dismantling of the CAP and for agriculture to take the hit”, she said.  “It is incomprehensible to me that following the severe Fishcler measures there is continuing pressure for further reforms”, she stated.

This agenda was being driven by the British Presidency which was prepared to sacrifice primary production in Europe in an effort to gain greater access to world markets in the W.T.O. talks, she stressed:

“What I find most hypocritical about the stance of the U.K., is that they advocate further reform of the CAP, while they were part of a group that blocked the capping of the limits on payments to the bigger farmers.  This stance is totally contradictory and undermines all their credibility in this situation”, she said.

European farmers were between a rock and a hard place, operating under the most stringent E.U. rules to ensure that the consumer was eating safe food, while at the same time they saw huge imports from other countries where farmers could operate under a totally different regime.  “The current situation is increasing the uncertainty for farmers, and is a major threat to the European model of Agriculture, which was initially support by the CAP but is being excessively and unnecessarily eroded”, Marian Harkin, MEP, concluded.