Posted on November, 14 2017

Agriculture and nature are inseparably linked, but currently unsustainable farming is threatening natural resources and damaging rural communities. Here are WWF's main orientation and policy asks to ensure the next  Common Agricultural Policy supports the transition to a more sustainable food and farming system. 

WWF is advocating for a transition towards truly sustainable food and farming systems that work for people and nature. EU institutions and national governments should address today’s environmental and societal challenges responsibly. They must deliver on national, European and international commitments such as the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement. The current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is not fit for this purpose.

WWF therefore calls for the CAP to be re-designed in order to support the necessary transition in agricultural practices, and asks for:

1. Programmed and targeted schemes to become the core of this policy;
2. Coherence with other EU and global policies and a widened governance structure.

WWF calls upon European institutions to engage in the reform for a sustainable CAP post- 2020, with the following orientation:

• The next CAP should establish a new contract between farmers and society;
• The CAP should be made coherent with, and help fully implement other EU policies and international agreements;
• A fair and sustainable alternative to direct payments should be implemented to deliver on environmental challenges, nature and societal demands;
• Cross-compliance and greening requirements should be revised and restructured;
• Rural development and environmental measures should be reinforced in the next CAP.