Today, Environment Secretary Owen Paterson has announced spending decisions following the consultation on the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) that closed on the 28 November this year. The amount of funding transferred from farmers' direct payments to the budget for environmental and rural growth schemes will be increased from 9% to 12%. The demand for environmental schemes and the competiveness of English agriculture will be reviewed in 2016, with the intention of moving to a 15% transfer in the final two years of the CAP period. This decision may be seen as a compromise as environmental groups sought a 15% transfer for the entire period and farming groups had sought a 9% not 12% initial transfer. The press release is available here, along with the full Government response to the consultation. Categories Farming
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