Role of Cap in Europe and Its Importance to Ireland
1. CAP origins and Development
The Common Agricultural policy (CAP) is one of the most controversial European Union Policies. When created during the late 1950’s after years of severe food shortages around Europe as a result of World War II, its initial aim was to strengthen and support the European Union farming industry and supply the people of Europe with better food and ensure them with more supplies by encouraging better agricultural productivity. When the Treaty of Rome was signed in 1956 and a common market was established in a hope to lift trade barriers between European countries. This led the way for the creation of five primary objectives for the CAP, which consisted of:
1. Increasing agricultural productivity
2. Ensuring a fair standard of living for farmers
3. Helping stabilise markets
4. Guaranteeing the availability of supplies
5. Ensuring fair prices for consumers
These objectives were set out at a conference held during the spring of 1958 in Stresa, Italy. Members and ministers of agriculture from all the participating EU states met to draw up objectives and proposals for the CAP. After the conference, all the members asked the European Commissioner of Agriculture Sicco Mansholt to draw up detailed objectives.
To help achieve and maintain these five objectives, three key policies were introduced;
1. Tariffs on imports
2. Quotas on imports
3. Minimum prices
When the CAP finally came into effect in 1962, the partnership that had been established linking agriculture and society between Europe and its farmers, were faced with many problems. During the 1980’s farmers were beginning to produce agricultural products that there was no market for. Consequently, the overproduction of agricultural products led to problems where huge surpluses of stock built up. “Colorful terms such as ”Butter Mountains and Wine lakes” were common” (Reinhorn, 2007). Many of these surpluses were offloaded and distributed to third world countries, destroyed
The Common Agricultural policy (CAP) is one of the most controversial European Union Policies. When created during the late 1950’s after years of severe food shortages around Europe as a result of World War II, its initial aim was to strengthen and support the European Union farming industry and supply the people of Europe with better food and ensure them with more supplies by encouraging better agricultural productivity. When the Treaty of Rome was signed in 1956 and a common market was established in a hope to lift trade barriers between European countries. This led the way for the creation of five primary objectives for the CAP, which consisted of:
1. Increasing agricultural productivity
2. Ensuring a fair standard of living for farmers
3. Helping stabilise markets
4. Guaranteeing the availability of supplies
5. Ensuring fair prices for consumers
These objectives were set out at a conference held during the spring of 1958 in Stresa, Italy. Members and ministers of agriculture from all the participating EU states met to draw up objectives and proposals for the CAP. After the conference, all the members asked the European Commissioner of Agriculture Sicco Mansholt to draw up detailed objectives.
To help achieve and maintain these five objectives, three key policies were introduced;
1. Tariffs on imports
2. Quotas on imports
3. Minimum prices
When the CAP finally came into effect in 1962, the partnership that had been established linking agriculture and society between Europe and its farmers, were faced with many problems. During the 1980’s farmers were beginning to produce agricultural products that there was no market for. Consequently, the overproduction of agricultural products led to problems where huge surpluses of stock built up. “Colorful terms such as ”Butter Mountains and Wine lakes” were common” (Reinhorn, 2007). Many of these surpluses were offloaded and distributed to third world countries, destroyed
Bibliography: (Kok, 2003) http://ec.europa.eu/enlargement/archives/pdf/enlargement_process/past_enlargements/communication_strategy/report_kok_en.pdf http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/cap-history/agenda-2000/com97-2000_en.pdf (Agenda 2000 : Legislative overview, 2000) http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=COM:1998:0182:FIN:EN:PDF (Agenda 2000, 2000) http://europa.eu/legislation_summaries/enlargement/2004_and_2007_enlargement/l60001_en.htm Butter mountains and Wine lakes (Reinhorn, J L 2007) Leslie J reinhorn http://0-www.sciencedirect.com.ditlib.dit.ie/science/article/pii/S0165176506002266