The European Commission has today set out plans for radical reform of the Common Agricultural Policy.

Switching the focus to environmental concerns and the quality of food produced - rather than quantity - the move is seen as an essential step to prepare the EU for enlargement.

Forum Response: Country Land and Business Association

Professor Allan Buckwell, chief economist at the CLA, told ePolitix.com: "The CLA has long advocated shifting from subsidies for production, to payments for environmental services and rural development.

"We also believe that DEFRA must fight to get the money back that we will lose from modulation. Modulation takes money away from medium size and large farms and returns this money to the EU for re-distribution to member states.

"The UK's share of Pillar 2 funding is only 3.6 per cent, whereas we have about 12 per cent of the EU land area. We already get less than we deserve, so the position must not deteriorate further. It is vital that the UK fights for land area to be the main key in the redistribution of modulated funds."

Forum Response: Royal Agricultural Society

A spokeswoman for the Royal Agricultural Society told ePolitix.com: "The Agenda 2000 reform process was supposed to formulate reforms in order to prepare the CAP for enlargement.

"We believe that reform of the CAP is vital if the European Union proceeds with its plans for enlargement."

Forum Response: Countryside Alliance

A spokesman for the Countryside Alliance told ePolitix.com: "In a very difficult environment, with the American Farm Bill, the reversal of French agricultural policy and potential change in German agricultural policy following the September elections, Commissioner Fischler has outlined a number of courageous proposals, and has been as radical as feasibly possible.

"The Alliance is particularly enthusiastic that Fischler has tried to ensure that Member States have been given as much flexibility as possible to interpret rural development that reflects economic and social life in the EU's various regions.

"We are not happy that member States will be given the opportunity to opt out of match funding. The Alliance believes each member State should be obliged to match fund to create confidence in the farming industry.

"The Alliance believes that the need for CAP reform should not jeopardise the livelihoods of those living and working in The EU's rural areas. To ensure this the Alliance wants to see money stay on individual farms to maintain incomes as a basis for building profitability. Collecting modulated money earmarked for rural development centrally in Brussels would not only be administratively expensive, the loss of income would drive many farmers out of business. This is particularly dangerous at a time when other factors beyond EU control are contributing to a downturn in the UK agricultural industry anyway.

"If there is increased bureaucracy then Member State governments should look at their own administrative systems and not blame it on the EU. The practice of gold-plating EU directives must be addressed, to avoid inequality within Europe.

"This is an opportunity for DEFRA to prove that it has moved away from the MAFF jobs worth mentality towards enabling profitable and sustainable land based industries to thrive in the UK"

Forum Response: Consumers Association

Stephen Crampton, EU policy adviser at the Consumers' Association, told ePolitix.com: "These proposals fall far short of our expectations of radical reform of the CAP. Consumers' Association is calling for the CAP to be scrapped and replaced with new food, environmental and rural policies. Consumers will continue to bear the burden of the CAP, which costs the average family of four £16 per week in higher food prices and higher taxation.

"These proposals are an opportunity missed. Unless future payments are linked to tough targets for food quality and environmental protection, we will simply replace the current wasteful system with indiscriminate new handouts which will still leave consumers short changed.

"We also want the responsibility for food, environmental and rural policies to be taken away from farming ministers and given to ministers responsible for the environment, health, consumer protection, trade and rural affairs. Only through this will UK consumers get a fairer deal from EU agriculture policy."

Forum Response: Game Conservancy Trust

A spokeswoman for the Game Conservancy Trust told ePolitix.com: "A lot of the work we have done clearly shows that farmers should be rewarded for utilising environmental safeguards within their farming methods."

Forum Response: Food and Drink Federation

Martin Paterson, deputy director general of the Food and Drink Federation, told ePolitix.com: "These proposals are a very positive step in the right direction towards a more market-oriented CAP encouraging an efficient and viable supply base for UK food and drink manufacturers.

"The process of CAP reform needs to start as soon as possible, giving businesses, markets and communities time to adjust to any changes.

"A major challenge over the next five years will be to retain production within the UK, as companies make regional or global investment decisions and as the EU enlarges. A key factor in retaining the UK production basewill be the ability to continue to source appropriate, competitively priced agricultural raw materials within the UK, or nearby in the EU.

"A commitment to the next step in this process addressing future financing levels - must be made at the Copenhagen Summit in December 2002 if the CAP is to meet the challenges of the WTO and Enlargement.

"FDF supports in principle the shifting of funds to Pillar II to the benefit of the environment and the countryside. We welcome the commitment to implement this on an EU-wide basis.

"FDF will be discussing with both DEFRA and EU institutions the details of these proposals as they emerge."

Forum Response: English Nature

Alastair Rutherford, senior agriculture spokesman at English Nature, told ePolitix.com: "The signals from Europe are very positive in terms of reform of the Common Agricultural Policy.

"There is obviously a strong intention to break the link between subsidies to farmers and food production which has had such a long-term and damaging impact on the environment. The redirection of existing support into rural development and incentives for managing the environment has been long awaited.

"Some of the details of the package put forward by the Commission will need to be carefully studied to determine their precise effects. For historic reasons the UK currently receives a disproportionately small amount of the EU budget for agri-environment and rural development measures. The Mid Term Review must lead a fairer distribution of the budget amongst Member States.

"Securing greater resources from Brussels to encourage more environmentally sustainable farming and rural development is an important factor in successfully implementing the findings of Sir Don Curry's Commission on the Future of Farming and Food. English Nature has been calling for further reform of the CAP for many years and fully supports the overall direction of these proposals."

Forum Response: RICS

A spokesman for the Royal Institute for Chartered Surveyors told ePolitix.com:"Research commissioned by the Policy Unit and the Rural Faculty has sounded alarm bells over the proposals in the Curry Commission report to increase modulation to 10 per cent in the UK. The findings show that this would effect average farm earnings by 22% and have a potentially negative environmental impact."