The Farmers' Union of Wales today raised Welsh farming's concerns about the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) at a high level meeting with European Commissioner for Agriculture Dacian Ciolo? at the Royal Welsh Show.
During the meeting, also attended by numerous EU Commission officials and cabinet members and deputy agriculture minister Alun Davies, FUW president Emyr Jones made it clear that Wales needed to implement a payment system which did not undermine food production and that any changes should take place over an appropriate transition period.
"A host of other key concerns were discussed, including the adverse impact that 'greening' measures would have on both agriculture and the environment, and the need to allow farms to respond to market pressures, rather than limiting land use through restrictive greening measures."
Mr Jones said the meeting had been a very positive one at which the Commissioner acknowledged the need to look at a number of key issues of concern to Welsh farmers.
"We very much welcome the Commissioner's presence at the largest agricultural event of its kind in Europe.
"Mr Ciolo? has been left with a clear impression of the importance of agriculture and food production to Wales, and the key changes which need to be made to the CAP proposals in order to ensure Welsh agriculture is not undermined."
Mr Jones added that important amendments to the proposals had already been submitted to the EU Parliament by the FUW, following a report by EU Agriculture Committee Rapporteur Capoulas Santos, and that he hoped these would be accepted during the coming months.