Press Release: Agriculture: Member States agree in principle to abolish obligatory set-aside

At a meeting of the Special Committee for Agriculture on Monday, the outgoing Presidency of the EU Council concluded that the vast majority of Member States will agree to abolish set-aside as proposed by the Commission in its CAP Health Check proposals. The change came in response to the increasingly tight situation on the cereals market. Under these circumstances, farmers can already benefit from the measure as from their autumn 2008 and spring 2009 sowings. The end of the set-aside scheme will allow farmers to adjust their planting decisions and respond in advance to new market circumstances.