38 Amendments of Damiano ZOFFOLI related to 2018/0216(COD)
Amendment 54 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 1
Recital 1
(1) The Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions entitled ‘The Future of Food and Farming’ of 29 November 2017 sets out the challenges, objectives and orientations for the future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after 2020. These objectives include, inter alia, the need for the CAP to be more result-driven, to boost modernisation and sustainability, including the economic, social, environmental and climate sustainability of the agricultural, forestry and rural areas, and to help reducing the Union legislation- related administrative burden for beneficiaries. The new policy should also represent a simplification for beneficiaries, and should ensure that they receive a fair income.
Amendment 68 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 6
Recital 6
(6) Synergies between the EAFRD and Horizon Europe should encourage that the EAFRD makes the best use of research and innovation results, in particular those stemming from projects funded by Horizon Europe and the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) for ‘agricultural productivity and sustainability’, leading to innovations that have a direct positive impact in the farming sector and rural areas.
Amendment 76 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 9
Recital 9
(9) In view of further improving the performance of the CAP, income support should be targeted to genuine farmers. In order to ensure a common approach at Union level for such a targeting of support, a framework definition for ‘genuine farmer’ displaying the essential elements should be set out. On the basis of this framework, Member States should define in their CAP Strategic Plans which farmers are not considered genuine farmers based on conditions such as income tests, labour inputs on the farm, company object and inclusion in registers. It should also not result in precluding support to pluri-active farmers, who are actively farming and contributing to the sustainability of the agricultural sector, but who are also engaged in non-agricultural activities outside their farm, as their multiple activities often strengthen the socio- economic fabric of rural areas.
Amendment 195 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 43
Recital 43
(43) Young farmers and new entrants still face significant barriers regarding access to land, high prices and access to credit. Their businesses are more threatened by price volatility (for both inputs and produce) and their needs in terms of training in entrepreneurial and risk management skills are high. It is therefore essential to continue the support for the setting up of new businesses and new farms. Member States should provide for a strategic approach and identify a clear and coherent set of interventions for generational renewal under the specific objective dedicated to this issue. To this aim, Member States mayshould set in their CAP Strategic Plans preferential conditions for specific financial instruments for young farmers and new entrants, and should include in their CAP Strategic Plan the ring-fencing of at least an amount corresponding to 24% of the annual direct payments' envelope. An increase of the maximum amount of aid for the installation of young farmers and rural business start-ups, up to EUR 100.000, which can be accessed also through or in combination with specific financial instrument form of support, should be established.
Amendment 253 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point h – point ii
Article 3 – paragraph 1 – point h – point ii
(ii) in the context of State aid schemes, the body which receives the aid;Does not affect the English version.)
Amendment 302 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point d
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point d
(d) 'genuine farmers' shall be defined in a way to ensure that no support is granted to those whose agricultural activity forms only an insignificant part of their overall economic activities or whose principal business activity is not agricultural, while not precluding from support pluri-active farmers. The definition shall allow to determine which farmers are not considered genuine farmers, based on conditions such as income tests, labour inputs on the farm, company object and/or inclusion in registers. The definition must take into account the amendments to the definition of ‘active farmer’ introduced in Regulation (EU) 2017/2393 (Omnibus) in such a way that Member States must use at least one of the eligibility criteria to identify genuine farmers. In addition, Member States shall be obliged to use the criterion to define ‘genuine farmers’.
Amendment 315 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point e a (new)
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point e a (new)
(ea) Short supply chain: a supply chain to the consumer from farms that are committed to promoting cooperation, local economic development and close social and territorial relationships.
Amendment 332 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point c
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point c
(c) to strengthen the socio-economic fabric of rural areas, and to contribute to job creation and employment in general.
Amendment 405 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point g
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point g
(g) attract young farmers and facilitate business development in rural areasthe creation of new farms by young people;
Amendment 411 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point h
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point h
(h) promote employment and stimulate job creation, growth, social inclusion and local development in rural areas, including bio-economy and sustainable forestry;
Amendment 421 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point i
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point i
(i) improve the response of EU agriculture to societal demands on food and health, including mandatory indication of origin on product labels, and encompassing safe, nutritious and sustainable food, food waste, as well as animal welfare.
Amendment 455 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 9 – paragraph 2
Article 9 – paragraph 2
Member States shall ensure that interventions are set out on the basis of objective and non-discriminatory criteria, are compatible with the internal market and do not distort competition. Member States may decide to establish certain elements of the strategic plan at regional level for certain elements of regional development, to ensure the coherence of the overall strategy. Regional bodies can only be entrusted with the management and implementation of rural development interventions.
Amendment 487 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 11 – paragraph 4 a (new)
Article 11 – paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Farmers meeting the requirements of Article 29(1) of Regulation (EC) No 834/2007 as regards organic farming shall be deemed ipso facto to be compliant with the system of cross-compliance as referred to in this Article.
Amendment 501 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 12 – paragraph 1
Article 12 – paragraph 1
1. Member States shall ensure that all agricultural areas including land which is no longer used for production purposes, is maintained in good agricultural and environmental condition. Member States shall define, at national or regional level, minimum standards for beneficiaries for good agricultural and environmental condition of land in line with the main objective of the standards as referred to in Annex III, taking into account the specific characteristics of the areas concerned, including soil and climatic condition, existing farming systems, land use, crop type, crop rotation, farming practices, and farm structures.
Amendment 509 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 12 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1
Article 12 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 1
Amendment 519 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 12 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 2
Article 12 – paragraph 3 – subparagraph 2
Amendment 526 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 12 – paragraph 4
Article 12 – paragraph 4
4. The Commission is empowered to adopt delegated acts in accordance with Article 138 supplementing this Regulation with rules for good agricultural and environmental condition, including establishing the elements of the system of the ratio of permanent grassland, the year of reference and the rate of conversion under GAEC 1 as referred to in Annex III, the format and additional minimum elements and functionalities of the Farm Sustainability Tool for Nutrients.
Amendment 540 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 13 – paragraph 2
Article 13 – paragraph 2
2. The farm advisory services shall cover economic, environmental and social dimensions and deliver up to date technological and scientific information developed by research and innovation. They shall be integrated within the interrelated services of farm advisory bodies, researchers, farmer organisations and other relevant stakeholders that form the Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS).
Amendment 541 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 13 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Article 13 – paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. The main priority of the advisory services shall be to facilitate innovation for farmers, to help them address the specific issues they face in implementing the rules of the CAP; such services shall be aimed exclusively at assisting farmers in conducting their activities. To this end, it is helpful to develop the bottom-up approach, where development and innovation requirements are defined directly by farmers and not imposed ‘from above’.
Amendment 554 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 13 – paragraph 4 – point f a (new)
Article 13 – paragraph 4 – point f a (new)
(fa) continuing to improve competitiveness, sectoral integration, short supply chains and local markets and market orientation, along with the promotion of entrepreneurship;
Amendment 560 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 13 – paragraph 4 a (new)
Article 13 – paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. support for the setting up of new farms by young farmers and assistance during the 5 years following the launch of their businesses.
Amendment 667 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 24 – paragraph 2 a (new)
Article 24 – paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. In the case of leases, the rights to assistance shall be transferred to the eligible hectares.
Amendment 676 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 26 – paragraph 2
Article 26 – paragraph 2
2. Member States shall ensure redistribution of support from bigger to smaller or medium-sized farms by providing for a redistributive income support in the form of an annual decoupled payment per eligible hectare, the amount of which shall be determined based on criteria aimed at facilitating rational development of agricultural production, as well as better use of production factors, to farmers who are entitled to a payment under the basic income support referred to in Article 17.
Amendment 681 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 26 – paragraph 3
Article 26 – paragraph 3
3. Member States shall identify the criteria for calculating the amount to grant for the complementary redistributive income support for sustainability within the framework of the CAP Strategic Plans. Member States shall establish an amount per hectare or different amounts for different ranges of hectares, as well as the maximum numberccording to the greater or lesser force of thectares per farmer for which previously identified criteria, for farmers to whom the redistributive income support shall be paid.
Amendment 685 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 27 – paragraph 2
Article 27 – paragraph 2
2. As part of their obligations to contribute to the specific objective 'attract young farmers and facilitate business development in rural areathe setting up of new farms by young farmers' set out in point (g) of Article 6(1) and to dedicate at least 24% of their allocations for direct payments to this objective in accordance with Article 86(4), Member States may provide a complementary income support for young farmers who have newly setare entitled to a payment under the basic income support as referred to in Article 17 and who are setting up for the first time andor who are entitled to a payment under the basic income support as referred to in Article 17. have set up during the 5 years prior to the submission of the payment request for young farmers. By way of derogation from the above, young farmers who have received, during the final year of application of Regulation (EU) 1307/2013, the support indicated in Article 50 of the said Regulation, may receive the support stipulated in this article for the maximum period referred to in paragraph 3 of this article.
Amendment 1138 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 68 – paragraph 2
Article 68 – paragraph 2
2. Member States may only grant support under this type of interventions for tangible and/or intangible investments carried out by genuine farmers as defined in Article 4(1)(d), which contribute to achieving the specific objectives set out in Article 6. Support to the forestry sector shall be based on a forest management plan or equivalent instrument.
Amendment 1180 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 68 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1
Article 68 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1
Member States shall limit the support to the maximum rate of 75% of the eligible costs. Member States must set a priority for investments made by young farmers as defined in Article 4(1)(e) of this Regulation.
Amendment 1189 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 68 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 2 – point c a (new)
Article 68 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 2 – point c a (new)
(ca) Member States may set priority criteria for granting support within the framework of this type of intervention that apply to sectoral contracts and short supply chains and local markets.
Amendment 1196 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 68 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 2 a (new)
Article 68 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 2 a (new)
By way of derogation from the provisions of subparagraph 3 of this paragraph, Member States shall limit support to the maximum rate of 90% of eligible costs for investment made by young farmers as defined in Article 4(1)(e) of this Regulation.
Amendment 1202 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 69 – paragraph 4
Article 69 – paragraph 4
4. Member States shall grant support in the form of lump sums. Support shall be limited to the maximum amount of EUR 100 000 to be allocated to farm investment and may be combined with financial instruments.
Amendment 1232 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 70 – paragraph 5
Article 70 – paragraph 5
5. Member States shall ensure that support is granted only for covering losses of at least 20% of the average annual production, revenue or income of the farmer in the preceding three-year period or a three-year average based on the preceding five-year period excluding the highest and lowest entry. Support shall be in line with the production, revenue or income that can be achieved.
Amendment 1238 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 71 – paragraph 8 a (new)
Article 71 – paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. The LEADER initiative, referred to as community-led local development as set out in paragraph 1, shall provide for the active and primary involvement of farms and/or forestry holdings.
Amendment 1241 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 72 – paragraph 2
Article 72 – paragraph 2
2. Under this type of interventions Member States may cover costs of any relevant action, primarily among young farmers, to promote innovation, access to training and advice and exchange and dissemination of knowledge and information which contribute to achieving the specific objectives set out in Article 6.
Amendment 1251 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 74 a (new)
Article 74 a (new)
Article 74a Specific financial instruments 1. The Managing Authorities shall establish a fund for granting financial instruments, providing support in the form of guarantees for loans requested by young farmers as defined in Article 4(1)(e) of this Regulation. 2. The Member State may grant up to 50% of the allocation of interventions to be directed to young farmers to the above- mentioned fund. 3. The Member State may apply the financial instrument referred to in this Article in conjunction with the support referred to in Article 69 of this Regulation.
Amendment 1373 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 93 – paragraph 2
Article 93 – paragraph 2
Where elements of the CAP Strategic Plan are established at regional level, the Member State shall ensure that such rural development elements are coherencet and the consistencyt with the elements of the CAP Strategic Plan established at national level.
Amendment 1427 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 99 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
Article 99 – paragraph 1 – introductory part
The description of each intervention specified in the strategy or of certain interventions within the framework of rural development managed at regional level referred to in point (d) of Article 95(1) shall include:
Amendment 1433 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 101 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 101 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) the identification of all national and regional governance bodies referred to in Chapter II of Title II of the Regulation (EU) [HzR];
Amendment 1457 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 107 – paragraph 1
Article 107 – paragraph 1
1. Member States and the Regions may submit to the Commission requests to amend their CAP Strategic Plans and any interventions in the field of rural development managed at regional level.