THE COMMON AGRICULTURAL POLICY The birth of the CAP The was established in the early 1960s by the European Economic Community to guarantee enough food to a Europe emerging from caused by the war. Its first objectives were to: Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) 1 shortages improve agricultural productivity; stabilise agricultural markets by regulating supply and demand; avoid excessive price fluctuations; reduce on goods circulation; customs duties ensure reasonable prices for consumers and a standard of living for farmers. fair MORE The CAP was created in 1962 by the six founding countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) of the European Communities and is the longest-serving EU policy. 1 ONLINE RESOURCES Unfair trading practices in the food chain Reforms to the CAP In the 1980s and early 1990s, this agricultural policy imposed production limits which helped to reduce surpluses (for example, milk quotas in 1983) and supported investments at environmental protection in connection with agriculture, forestry and landscape conservation. Farmers were encouraged to be more environmentally friendly following the principle of sustainable development stated at the1992 Rio Earth Summit. In the 2000s, financial grants were still available, but were used much more selectively, since, in return, farmers had to meet standards on farm hygiene, food safety, animal health and welfare, biodiversity and landscape protection. The CAP reform of 2014-2020 implied a new system of direct payments which farmers and land managers for the provision of public services, such as: targeted rewarded the conservation of genetic resources; water and wetland management; afforestation; the development of forest-based to improve the environment and increase the absorption of carbon dioxide. enterprises The European Green Deal 1 Since climate change and environmental degradation are an existential threat to Europe and the world, in 2020, the European Commission issued the , a roadmap for Europe becoming a climateneutral continent by 2050. Its target is to limit global warming and ensure that greenhouse gas emissions are significantly reduced. European Green Deal DO Watch a video about the European Green Deal to find out more. European Research Council 1 INSERIRE VIDEO: Frontier research for the European Green Deal posted by The new CAP The new CAP (2023-2027) is key to securing the future of agriculture and forestry, as well as achieving the objectives of the European Green Deal. The new legislation is built around ten key objectives, focused on social, environmental, and economic goals.