Reform of the Common Agricultural Policy

Cross compliance rules to conserve England’s landscapes

The reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) agreed in July 2003 are introducing substantial changes to the way that European farmers are supported and, consequently, to the way that farmland is managed. From January 2005, agricultural subsidies have been ‘decoupled’ from production and farmers in receipt of the payments must comply with basic legal and best practice requirements known as ‘cross compliance’, including ‘Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions’ (GAEC). During 2004, Defra consulted on the content of these GAEC. LUC was commissioned by the Countryside Agency to research potential conditions that could provide protection of landscape features in England’s countryside.

The research concluded that four standards were suitable for inclusion in the GAEC, covering the retention of traditional field boundaries, the protection of trees from unlawful felling, the prevention of damage to the roots of trees and the protection of scheduled historic sites. A further two standards were identified that could be included under other measures within the GAEC and three were identified that were unsuitable for GAEC but could be included in agri-environment schemes.