The Dutch Presidency convened an informal meeting of the Agriculture Council on “The Future of Food”, on 30th and 31st May, in Eindhoven (Netherlands). A document from the Presidency was circulated before the meeting in order to frame the debate on the future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post 2020. One of the topics discussed in the document was sustainability of agriculture, a topic which includes greening policy and the use of agricultural waste: what role can the CAP play in the transition towards a more sustainable agriculture?
CEPM spoke out on this issue during the Commission’s public consultation on greening, held from 15th December 2015 to 8th March 2016. CEPM highlighted the difficulties faced by producers in complying with greening requirements in practice, and underlined the efficiency of winter cover crops in France, a technique recognised as equivalent to greening for maize growing.