Agenda 2000: direct support schemes to farmers under the common agricultural policy

The Commission proposal to introduce new rules for direct support for farmers was carried without amendment, by 21 votes to 18 with no abstentions, after the committee rejected all the amendments tabled in the report by Friedrich-Wilhelm GRAEFE zu BARINGDORF (Greens, D). The Commission wants to reduce aid on the basis of a degressive sliding scale which takes the number of people employed in agriculture and environmental requirements into account. The rapporteur had hoped to place a ceiling on direct payments and make payment of subsidies dependent on compliance with environmental standards. After the vote he said he was disappointed with the result but the unamended Commission proposal was preferable to a version incorporating committee amendments which were extremely confusing.�