21 Amendments of Matt CARTHY related to 2015/2226(INI)
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas, in many European countries over the past few decades, the number of farmers in rural areas has drastically decreased and employment in those areas has continued to decline; whereas between 2005 and 2014, there was a reduction of almost one quarter (- 23.6%) in agricultural labour input in the EU-281a; _________________ 1a Eurostat, 2016
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. whereas, the economic crisis hit all parts of Europe, but none more so than rural areas; whereas such areas experienced unprecedented devastation as a result of austerity policies;
Amendment 14 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. whereas there is a relatively low income per labour unit for agricultural activities and that this is a point of concern;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas, although studies have shown that Direct Payments through Pillar 1 do not directly create jobs, they play a vital role in maintaining jobs and keeping farmers on the land; whereas should this policy support be withdrawn, 30% of European farmers would be forced to cease activities and exit the agricultural sector; whereas these payments keep small farmers and rural areas alive;
Amendment 39 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
Eb. whereas direct payment supports for farmers in peripheral areas, farming on disadvantaged or marginal land are vital not only to ensure that these farmers remain on the land and earn a decent livelihood, but also to ensure that this land is protected and plays a role in attracting tourism to these areas;
Amendment 40 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E c (new)
Recital E c (new)
Ec. whereas there is a requirement to ensure a fairer distribution of Pillar 1 payments to maximise the positive impact of this support;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas European farmers operate in an increasingly global market and therefore experience greater exposure to price volatility than other sectors; whereas trade deals currently being negotiated such as the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), the EU-Canada Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the EU-Mercosur Free Trade Agreement pose a threat to job creation and the creation of conditions to support agricultural livelihoods;
Amendment 59 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G b (new)
Recital G b (new)
Gb. whereas the European Commission's own impact assessment on the effects TTIP notes that "predominantly rural areas focussed on specific activities and with limited alternatives are more vulnerable"; whereas rural areas and rural jobs are threatened by the movements away from traditional farming models that this agreement will bring;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L a (new)
Recital L a (new)
La. whereas the European Commission's Report on the Needs of Young Farmers, November 2015 1a shows that availability of land to buy and to rent are the biggest problems facing young farmers and new entrants into farming; _________________ 1a http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/external- studies/2015/young-farmers/final-report- 1_en.pdf
Amendment 108 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Encourages the Member States to step up their support for small and medium-sized farms, in particular by making more use of the redistributive payment, and to introduce a ceiling on aid of between EUR 50 000 and EUR 1500 000 across the board;
Amendment 140 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Emphasises that geographical indications and organic farming represent and guarantee territory-based added value and create jobs, and as such should not only be protected but also developed; highlights however the processes for attaining these quality standards can be overly burdensome, should be simplified and that short supply chains linking farmers to local producers can stimulate rural job creation;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls on the Member States and their regions to shift the focus of their rural policy to job creation, and calls on the Commission to assist them in achieving that objectiveEmphasises that rural development and job creation go hand in hand;
Amendment 209 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)
Paragraph 11 a (new)
11a. Calls on the Commission to review how it currently defines 'jobs' in agriculture; highlights the distinction between a 'job', which has connotations that a person is an employee and receives a wage (subsidy), and a person earning a 'livelihood' as someone who deals with a resource and makes what they can from it; believes that most farmers fall into the latter category and thus that the Commission should restructure its policy focus towards creating conditions that support livelihoods;
Amendment 228 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Calls on the Commission to ensure maximum support for small and medium size farms and for a fairer redistribution of payments; calls on the Commission to introduce a ceiling on aid of between EUR 50 000 and EUR 100 000, while protecting national envelopes;
Amendment 247 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Takes the view that regaining control of the European market must be a principle for action under the future CAP, before turning to markets outside the EU; in this regard, considers that trade agreements such as TTIP, CETA and the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement pose a significant threat the European Agriculture and Employment markets and will work against policies aimed at stimulating local production and supporting agricultural livelihoods;
Amendment 285 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Takes the view that bottom-up approaches to local development such as LEADER/CLLD have proven to be effective and that they should be further strengthened and implemented in all Member States by means of multi-fund approaches; takes the view that recent reforms in some Member States away from the bottom-up approach have contributed to a loss in the entire social fabric of the LEADER programme;
Amendment 292 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Calls on the European Commission to come forward with models of good practice with regard to transnational LEADER II projects;
Amendment 298 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Stresses that the importance of the Second Pillar for job creation can be enhanced by allowing much more flexibility according to region specific needs;
Amendment 307 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Calls on the Commission to establish more support for local cooperatives in order to regain control over prices and their products;
Amendment 309 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19b. Invites the Commission to consider setting definitions for what it means to be a local producer in order to stimulate this type of production;
Amendment 323 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Takes the view that it is vital to ensure that public and private services such as broadband, integrated and accessible transport networks, and finance and credit schemes for rural entrepreneurs, micro-enterprises and SMEs, are in place to make it possible to maintain and develop employment in rural areas;