The Bavarian Proposals for the CAP28

The rules and controls associated with the new CAP since 2023 have significantly increased in complexity compared to the previous funding period, reaching the limits of feasibility for farmers and administration. It is clear that the CAP must be made practical again; therefore, Minister of State Michaela Kaniber established the Farmers' Council on January 30, 2024. The approximately 30-member body includes farmers, representatives from agricultural, environmental, and forestry associations, the food industry and the administration, as well as the Bavarian Government.

The Bavarian Government has committed in the coalition agreement to present its own Bavarian proposal for the next CAP starting in 2028 early in the debate. Under the leadership of former Minister of State Dr. Marcel Huber, the Farmers' Council has developed proposals for EU agricultural policy in recent months and submitted them to Minister of State Michaela Kaniber on June 26, 2024. Additionally, the body developed proposals for a leaner bureaucracy.

In the first step, the vision of Bavarian agriculture was defined by the Farmers' Council. The body established five action areas from which goals and measures were derived that are to be achieved with the future CAP.

Based on the defined vision, concrete measures were developed to realize the desired goals in the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The diverse Farmers' Council has proven that a joint design of the CAP is indeed possible. Despite partly differing views within the body regarding the interests of agriculture, the environment, and society, it was possible, within half a year of productive and appreciative collaboration, to present constructive proposals for CAP 28 in a comprehensive discussion paper on June 26, 2024.

An agricultural policy, and in particular a CAP 28, in the interest of farmers means above all practicality and clarity. The task of the CAP is to create suitable conditions so that a reasonable income can be generated in and with agriculture, while also addressing societal and ecological challenges alongside food production. The discussion paper developed by the Farmers' Council forms the foundation for the Bavarian proposals. The ideas and valuable suggestions from the body were carefully examined for feasibility, leading to concise recommendations for action. These proposals offer a great opportunity to address the many challenges in the CAP. The Bavarian proposals for CAP 28 were approved by the Bavarian Cabinet and presented to the Bavarian State Parliament. At the federal level, the Bavarian proposals for CAP 28 were presented to the German government and the German federal states. At European level, Minister of State Kaniber presented the Bavarian proposals to the new Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen in Brussels. The EU Commission’s recently published ‘Vision for Agriculture and Food’ shows a high degree of agreement with the Bavarian proposals for CAP 28. The Bavarian proposals already offer concrete practical solutions for implementing the EU Commission's goals for the CAP starting in 2028.