II. Common Agricultural Policy

Structure of the Chapter:

Introduction:

Agriculture sat high on the agenda of European policymakers and constituted a key element from the outset of the European Community. After studying this chapter, students should be able to describe the formation and development of the CAP, outline the main objectives and also problems of the CAP and explain the new agricultural policy.

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Key Words:

Comprise - be composed of, have as parts or members
Persist - continue to exist
Surplus - amount (of anything) in excess of requirements, amount that remains after needs have been supplied
Facilitate - make easy, lessen the difficulty of
Utilization - finding a use for
Supplies - stock or amount of something which is obtainable
Measure - a way to achieve something
Tackle - deal with
Equitable - fair, just, reasonable
Issue - question that arises for discussion, the point being discussed
Implications - the effect that an action or a decision will have on something else in the future
Commitment - promise, pledge
Competitor - person who takes part in a contest, person who competes
Preserve – protect and care for land, rivers, lakes etc.
Income – money received during a given period (as salary, interest from investments)
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Pre-reading Tasks:

Do you know anything about the Common Agricultural Policy?
Why do you think it is regarded one of the most important policy areas? 
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listening

Specialist text:

Common Agriculture Policy

The CAP is comprised of a set of rules and mechanisms, which regulate the production, trade and processing of agricultural products in the European Union, with attention being focused increasingly on rural development. Its original objectives set out in the 1957 Treaty of Rome still remain and the main mechanism of internal market support persisted largely unchanged until the 1990s. The main problems of the CAP also have a long history, notably the financially and politically costly surpluses and widespread environmental problems. More recently, moves toward the liberalization of agricultural trade and the need to realign the CAP to more easily facilitate expansion of the Union can be added to the list of challenges for the CAP in the twenty-first century. The original objectives of the CAP as laid down in Article39 of the Treaty of Rome are:

In 1991 the European Commission published proposals for the reform of the CAP including the now famous 80:20 formulation that is that 80% of farm spending was going to only 20% of farmers and that these tended to be the larger, more efficient producers. The original reform proposals were put forward in a document entitled The Development and Future of the CAP, also known as the Mac Sharry proposals after Ray MacSharry, the agriculture commissioner at the time. The reforms proposed explicitly stemmed from the failure of earlier measures to tackle the problem of surplus production, the encouragement of intensification and environmental damage through the coupling of farm support to output and, importantly, the perceived need to bring about a more equitable distribution of funds. The distributional issue was particularly important and led to the promotion of modulation (positive discrimination in favour of smaller farmers who would receive a greater degree of compensation). The reforms also had wider implications. In addition to redressing the distribution of agricultural support, the proposals reaffirmed the role of farmers as joint producers of food and managers of the environment. This role was to be enhanced explicitly through a series of agri-environmental schemes and was implicitly strengthened by a continued commitment to keeping farmers on the land - particularly the smaller family farmers who had been disadvantaged by the operation of earlier price support policies. Nevertheless, when in 1997 the European Commission published its Agenda 2000 reform proposals, rural development was introduced as a second pillar of the CAP. In Agenda 2000 the Commission set out new objectives for the reformed CAP and in doing so began to outline the essential characteristics of the European model of agriculture and its associated support policy. The new policy is based on a different model to the EU´s major competitors and according to the European Commission a key difference can be found in the concept of the multifunctional nature of Europe´s agriculture and the part it plays in the economy and the environment, in society and in preserving the landscape, whence the need to maintain farming throughout Europe and to safeguard farmers´ incomes.

Comprehension questions:

  1. In what documents were original objectives and reform proposals put forward?
  2. What are the original objectives of the CAP?
  3. What are the main problems of the CAP?
  4. What implications did the original reform proposals have?
  5. What is the new policy based on?
 
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Activities:

I. Decide whether the following statements are true or false:

  1. The original objectives of the CAP were set out in the 1958 Treaty of Rome.
  2. One of the objectives was to ensure the availability of supplies.
  3. Ray Mac Sharry was the Environment Commisioner in 1991.
  4. The role of farmers as joint producers of food and managers of the environment was strengthened by a commitment to keeping smaller family farmers on the land.
  5. In Agenda 2000 the Commission set out new objectives for the reformed CAP.
  6. The new policy is based on a different model to the EU´s major suppliers.
  7. A main difference between the original and the new policy can be found in the concept of the multifunctional nature of Europe´s agriculture.

 
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II. Give the synonyms of the words below:

  1. receive  a greater degree   of compensation
  2. to tackle  the problem
  3. surplus  production
  4. the failure of earlier measures 
  5. to increase  productivity
  6. the factors of production 
  7. to reach
  8.  
  9. the original objective 
  10. to enhance  the role
  11. price support  policies
 
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III. Match the words listed below:

1) reform   a) living
2) Treaty of   b) Commission
3) European   c) production
4) tackle   d) farmer
5) rural   e) development
6) food   f) objectives
7) family   g) Rome
8) twenty-first   h) the problem
9) set out   i) century
10) standard of   j) proposals
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IV. Fill in the proper tenses and forms of the verbs listed below:

Are permitted, operates, growing, produce, can be varied, will be paid, set aside, are affected, does not require

Farmers who 1)  more than 92 tonnes of arable crops are only eligible for compensation payments if they 2)  a proportion of their arable land. The base level of set aside is 10%, but this 3)  annually by the Council of Ministers. A simplified scheme 4)  for farmers 5)  less than 92 tonnes which 6)  them to set any land aside. Some non-food crops, such as those intended for biomass or biofuels, 7)  on set-aside land. Individual producers 8)  by milk quotas, but in the future direct payments to producers in the form of dairy premiums 9)  .


 
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V. Complete the table with the noun or verb which has been omitted:

VERB NOUN
expand
develop
distribution
intensification
strength
encourage
introduction
negotiation
competitor
maintain

 
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VI. Quiz

Look at the sentences below and choose the right answer.
1. In Agenda 2000 the Commission set out
new objectives for the reformed CAP
original objectives for the CAP
original proposals for the CAP
2. One of the original objectives of the CAP was
to ensure markets
to stabilise markets
to develop markets
3. The CAP is comprised of a set of rules which regulate the production, trade and
processing of agricultural products
processed of agricultural products
being processed of agricultural products
4. The significance of the CAP is also portrayed by the fact that it is directly related to the
Court of Justice
European Commission
Single Market
5. The CAP is regarded as one of the most
important policy areas
significant environmental areas
affected policy mechanisms
6. The CAP is supported by the system of the
United Market
Single Market
Common Market
7. The reform proposals also had wider
views
implications
specialisations
8. The market reforms are also intended to contribute towards environmental
enhancement
decision
justification
9. The EU-coordinated agricultural
issues
customers
consumers
have a direct impact on a lot of people.

10. The concept of public financial support for rural development is increasingly gaining
declaration
acceptance
competence

 
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Summary:

The chapter deals with the Common Agricultural policy which regulates the production, trade and processing of agricultural products in the European Union. The main objectives and problems of the CAP are outlined here. Students will practise vocabulary of this topic whilst reading specialist text, in comprehension questions and in several activities connected with this topic.
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Literature:

M. Kocmanová: Angličtina Evropské unie, Nakladatelství Ostrov, Praha 2004
H. Janouškovcová: English for the European Union, ČZU PEF Praha 2000

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Home page

Checks:

Comprehension Check:

  1. Article 39 of the Treaty of Rome, The Development and Future of the CAP, Agenda 2000
  2. To increase agricultural productivity, to ensure a fair standard of living for the farmers, to stabilize markets, to assure the availability of supplies at reasonable prices
  3. Surplus production, widespread environmental problems
  4. They reaffirmed the role of farmers as joint producers of food and managers of the environment
  5. It is based on a different model to the EU´s major competitors and on the concept of the multifunctional nature of Europe´s agriculture

Check I:


F, T, F, T, T, F, T

Check II:

get, amount, deal with, excess, provisions, raise, output-produce, achieve, aim-goal-target, strengthen, subsidy-grant

Check III:

reform proposals, Treaty of Rome, European Commission, tackle the problem, rural development, food production, family farmer, twenty-first century, set out objectives, standard of living

Check IV:

  1. produce
  2. set aside
  3. can be varied
  4. operates
  5. growing
  6. does not require
  7. are permitted
  8. are affected
  9. will be paid

Check V:

Verb: distribute, strengthen, introduce, negotiate, compete
Noun: expansion, development, intensification, encouragement

Check VI:

1) a, 2) b, 3) a, 4) c, 5) a, 6) b, 7) b, 8) a, 9) a, 10) b
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