The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) pays 32% of payments to just 1.5% of farms which is insufficient support to small farms says a new report.

The conclusion of the report is that CAP is not fit for purpose.

The study was undertaken after the European Commission failed to produce its own fitness check on the CAP. The authors of the report assessed 450 peer reviewed scientific papers. The report was co-commissioned by the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament and produced in cooperation with the Socialists and Democrats group and a range of environmental NGOs and universities.

There are two key findings of the report. The first is that the socio-economic efficiency of the CAP is very low. The decrease in numbers of agricultural holdings continues, with a trend towards large-scale farms. With 32% of payments going to 1.5% of farms, the CAP provides insufficient support to small farms.

Secondly, the CAP is largely inefficient regarding its environmental objectives. The CAP does not halt, let alone reverse, ongoing trends of agricultural intensification, abandonment, environmental degradation and biodiversity decline. It has a very limited effect on climate change mitigation.

Molly Scott Cato MEP, who sits on the Agriculture Committee in the European Parliament, responded:

"There needs to be a major change in direction if the CAP is to be made fit for purpose. With CAP spending amounting to nearly sixty billion euros per year, it should be a major driver of socio-economic progress. But with far too much money going into the hands of far too few farmers, it is failing to deliver on its potential. We need a clear commitment to small and medium sized agriculture, and action to stop the expansion of corporate-controlled mega-farms which drain our local economies.

"The CAP is also failing our environment. Europe needs an agricultural policy that will help farms make the transition to animal-friendly and greener production."