Questions to Dacian Ciolos (DC) from Rob Yorke (rural surveyor & commentator) for the Brecon &

Radnor Express newspaper

(Unedited version except for RY green highlighting post DC reply)

Question 1 of 5 You have said the taxpayer expects more than just food from farmers; firstly how do we connect an increasingly UK urban population with food production and secondly highlight those broader benefits* that agriculture provides to society DC Oxford Farm Conf Jan 11 and that the taxpayer, must pay for these benefits? (*ecosystem services such as biodiversity landscape,
carbon storage, water catchment management)

One of the key messages I have sought to promote since taking office is the fact that the Common Agriculture Policy is not just for farmers, but for all EU citizens but it is carried out by farmers. All opinion polls that we have carried out in recent years show that the wider public considers it important to have a sufficient supply of safe food, to take good care of the environment, to stop biodiversity loss, and to have thriving rural communities. Other issues such as animal welfare and sustainable pesticide use are also issues which most consumers feel strongly about. By describing our reform proposals for the Common Agriculture Policy for 2014-2020 as a partnership between Europe and farmers, and by making a clear link between part of the CAP subsidies and these environmental public goods, we hope we can increase public awareness of the vital services that farmers provide to society. At the same stage, we want to do this in a way which raises the baseline for what is provided by all farmers in all regions of the EU. Events like the Royal Welsh Show help to raise awareness of these issues and spread this message to the non-farming public. The adjustments to the subsidy system that we have put on the table whether it is through these "greening" measures, or through a shift in direct payment allocations away from historical references towards the simpler criteria of area, or through a capping of amounts of direct payment that an individual farmer can receive - is a way of improving transparency for how we spend taxpayers' money. This is a further important element in addressing this challenge.