Abstract/Summary

After a brief history of the common agricultural policy (CAP), this chapter asks whether the reform process begun in the 1990s has been completed and whether or not there has been a paradigm change. It then poses the question: what are direct payments for? Pillar 2 is then briefly discussed. Finally two particular challenges for the post-2020 CAP are noted: that arising from the UK’s exit from the EU, and the need for European farmers to adapt to climate change, whilst helping to mitigate its effects through carbon sequestration and a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.