A majority of Europeans want to see a change in the way the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) supports the EU farmers, according to the latest Eurobarometer opinion poll.
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More than 60% of EU citizens see a shift of farm subsidies from production to directly supporting farmers and the rural areas as “a very good” or “fairly good” thing. Support among the 16041 people questioned in the 15 Member States for direct support to farmers was on average 62%, up 6% compared to the last Eurobarometer poll of mid-2001.
The survey also shows that citizens want the EU farm policy to ensure that agricultural products are healthy and safe. For EU citizens the priority of the CAP should be to ensure that agricultural products are healthy and safe, promote the respect of the environment, protect medium or small sized farms and help farmers to adapt their production to consumer expectations.
“The message of our citizens is unequivocal. They are ready to support our farmers and the rural zones of Europe under the condition that they get environment, food safety and quality or animal welfare in exchange. This is exactly the road I want to go further down with the review of the CAP in July”, commented Franz Fischler, Commissioner for Agriculture, Rural Development and Fisheries.
The confidence of EU citizens in the CAP’s ability to deliver safe agricultural produce has also recovered. There was an increase from 37% (2001) to 42% – in the number of respondents who felt that the CAP ensured that agricultural produce was safe to eat. This is seen as the area in which the CAP best fulfils its objectives.
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By GlobalDataLack of information continues to be a problem -‘Don’t know’ answers ranged from 24-35%. Only 20% of respondents, for example, felt that they had enough information on how food is produced and treated.
Those surveyed were strongly in favour of the following farm policy objectives listed in the survey:
To ensure that agricultural products are healthy and safe 90%
To promote the respect of the environment 88%
To protect medium or small sized farms 81%
To help farmers to adapt their production to consumer expectations 80%
To favour and improve life in the countryside 77%
To make European agriculture more competitive on world markets 77%
To ensure stable and adequate incomes for farmers 77%
To encourage the diversification of agricultural products and activities 73%
To favour methods of organic production 72%
To protect the taste of European agricultural products 73%
To protect the specificity of European agricultural products 73%
To reduce development disparities between regions 72%
To defend farmers’ interests in their dealings with intermediaries and distributors 71%
When asked how well they thought the CAP met its objectives, the satisfaction levels ranged from 41% (To ensure that agricultural products are healthy and safe) to 25% (To defend farmers’ interests in their dealings with intermediaries and distributors).
