Memorandum submitted by the Royal Agricultural
College
IMPLEMENTATION OF CAP REFORM IN THE UK AGRICULTURE
AND EU ENLARGEMENT
The Royal Agricultural College thanks the House
of Commons Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee for the
invitation to comment on the Implementation of CAP Reform in the
UK and would wish to associate with the comments made to the Committee
by our colleague James Jones. [7]
Additionally, we would specifically like to
address the educational issues arising from the changes.
1. The intensifying of production in limited
areas of the country will only increase the present problem of
a lack of skills base within the rural sector. There is a shortage
of skilled cowmen, pigmen, arable and livestock workers as well
as a dearth of hedge layers, drystone wallers, and engineers.
2. The shortage of skilled workers is partly
due to the perception that a career in agriculture is not attractive
with poor pay and poor conditions.
3. The industry needs to professionalise
its workforce in order to be attractive to young people.
4. The reduction in the number of farmers
in the UK will increase the present trend away from Agricultural
disciplines in the Colleges. This College intends to remain in
the agricultural and rural sector and will increase involvement
with other colleges both at higher and further education levels
to ensure that the industry has the College capability to attract
and educate the next generation of farmers and farm workers.
5. This College is influenced by the actions
proposed in the Policy Commission of the Future of Farming and
Food and is active in becoming involved in many of the initiatives.
6. The Education Sector could help the agricultural
education systems in accession countries to adapt to EU practice
(given appropriate support). This could be through direct financial
support to partner with institutions or to give staff training
or to share curriculum.
7. Above all students are being made aware
of the future dynamics of a fast changing agricultural industry
and are reacting and will be able to react to the many opportunities
that change offers to young people.
8. The CAP reforms will lead to agriculture
having to be more competitive in the global marketplace.
9. To be more competitive will require a
skilled workforce, entrepreneurial management and a research-led
industry.
10. Leadership is needed to provide the
vision and drive for this new era.
Additionally, one element of CAP reform is the
linkage being made between support payments, the environmental
conditions of the land and the safety of food produced.
In terms of food safety, the majority of the
food chain is required to adopt Hazard Analysis Critical Control
Point (HACCP) as the preferred system of risk assessment and management.
Although not required at primary production
level it is important that each stage of the food chain adopts
appropriate risk assessment strategies to improve food chain linkages.
We see this as an important role for training not only for the
acceding countries but for primary producers across the EU.
Therefore we would argue that wider adoption
of farm food safety training is a fundamental element of CAP reform.
The specialised Colleges like RAC have an important
role to play in all these matters, as the rural economy, and food
chain management will require increasing priority in the future.
Royal Agricultural College
December 2003
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