Nicolas Hulot on CAP reform

Five days before the vote of the European Parliament on the CAP reform in Strasbourg, former TV animator and chairmain of its eponymous Foundation, Nicolas Hulot was the guest of the Friday morning session on France Inter radio.

Nicolas Hulot © Radio France – 2013 / Anne Audigier

Nicolas Hulot has recalled the importance of the CAP reform which will be voted on 12 and 13 March in Strasbourg:

“We are in the final stage of the CAP reform, and the CAP is the first European budget, with roughly €50 billion. It is our money, it’s your money, it’s mine, and it is not nothing. So we still have the right to say a few words about our money.”

He added: “We need to mobilise people in this issue there. Citizens may, by petition, including I Field Good campaign petition launched by (its) Foundation, be informed about what is at stake“.

Asked about the fact that a third of the CAP direct payments would be subject to environmental standards, Hulot warned that Greening could become optional.

Indeed, as the Ministers of Agriculture, Committee on Agriculture of the European Parliament (COMAGRI) voted the facultative nature of Greening on 23 January, which annihilated the expected result of the reform proposed by Commissioner Ciolos.

In conclusion, the FNH President stated we need to “help farmers, not to blame them”.

To do this, Nicolas Hulot said instead of cuts in the CAP budget, we need “compliance to best practices and creation of jobs, ensuring that there no more differences between farmers with a capping, and that aids benefit more farmers.

Listen to the interview: http://www.franceinter.fr/emission-le-79-nicolas-hulot-1

Nicolas Hulot message to the CAP reform: http://www.canalplus.fr/c-infos-documentaires/pid3847-c-la-nouvelle-edition.html

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About Samuel Féret 34 Articles

Samuel Féret is project manger at the Institut Agronomique Méditerranéen de Montpellier (IAMM) and a board member of ARC2020.