A new website www.capreform.com has been launched to facilitate debate and information flow on the impact of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) mid term review (MTR) on unsupported crops.

'The site gives growers access to explanatory papers and policy documents on the MTR and also the ability to put their own views forward,' said a press release.

'There is access to the full range of official MTR documents and links to Defra and EU sites as well. If growers want to lobby their MP and MEP they can find their details through links on the site.

'The CAP MTR proposals present a real threat to those involved in the unsupported sectors of agriculture and horticulture – potatoes, vegetables, fruit, and a number of other speciality crops. These crops have no crop based subsidy payments under the present CAP arrangements.

'They face market distortion resulting from unfair competition from land benefiting from the payment of de-coupled aid entitlements cereal and other combinable crop farmers; and they lose the flexibility to switch back to combinable crops with decoupled support.' CAPreform.com is maintained with help and support from interested parties representing fresh and processed vegetables, soft and bush fruit growers.

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