Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-05-15-Speech-1-072"
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"en.20000515.4.1-072"2
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"Mr President, I wish to thank the rapporteur for her handling of what is a very complex matter where both producing and non-producing Member States have serious reservations regarding the Commission proposals.
In very broad terms, I welcome the Commission proposal to bring flax and hemp into the arable area payments scheme. A single area payment is in line with the view that growers should respond to market demands rather than be driven by CAP subsidies. However, I shall not repeat the many reservations about the proposals that colleagues have already mentioned.
We should note that flax and hemp are environmentally-friendly crops. Compared with mainstream crops such as oil seeds and cereals, they require low levels of chemical and fertiliser treatment. They also produce renewable raw materials that can displace synthetic fibres derived from petroleum and other mineral resources. We should welcome, therefore, the expansion of industrial crop activity and the opportunities provided for diversification.
However, I wish to raise the question of land eligibility, which appears to be a particular problem in the UK. Most of the flax and hemp grown in the UK is on land ineligible for arable area payments. The Commission proposals, as I understand them, threaten the UK growers and would leave UK processors with no domestic supply of raw material. It has been suggested that the land eligibility rules should be disregarded for flax and hemp so that any land could be used for those crops, but without an increase in the base area. This would allow expansion, should market conditions encourage growth, and allow new growers to enter the market. It would be helpful if the Commissioner could comment on this matter when he responds to the debate."@en1
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