| In Europe, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is the key legislative framework influencing the production, sale and processing of agricultural products. The CAP has driven major decisions on the direction of agriculture in Europe and the spending of considerable amounts of EU public funds – today it takes up around 40% of the total EU budget. Responsible for our food, our rural communities, our countryside, our health, our environment and our farmers, the CAP affects everyone. It is widely acknowledged that the CAP has encouraged a model of agriculture that damages the environment – contributing to climate change, biodiversity loss, soil erosion and water pollution – and has promoted factory-style farming at the expense of viable incomes for farmers... |
