Scottish Government Consultation Cover Letter
Many of you will already be aware that the European Commission has published a set of draft regulations on the future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). These draft regulations cover both Pillar 1 which funds Direct Payments and Pillar 2 which provides the support for Rural Development and would apply between 2014 - 2020.
The discussions on these draft proposals are just starting in Brussels and we would very much welcome your views on the various ideas from the Commission. These are important discussions for Scotland and knowing your views will help us to assess how well Scotland's needs are met by the Commission's proposals.
This consultation is designed in an electronic format to help us gather your views in a rapid and easily accessible form. However, if you are not able to complete the consultation electronically, then hard copies are also available and contact details for obtaining a hard copy can be found in the separate "Background Details" document.
The "Background Details" document also gives further information about the proposed changes to the CAP and on how you can take part in this consultation exercise, including the relevant web links to the electronic forms of the consultation documents.
It is important that you read the Background Details document carefully before you start the consultation as there are many new aspects to think about. A one page "Aide Memoire" is also provided which summarises the steps you need to take to complete the electronic consultation.
This formal consultation is just one part of a number of different stakeholder engagement activities that we are currently undertaking. We expect the formal negotiations in Europe to be lengthy and we will make sure that stakeholders are kept informed of developments throughout this process.
To help do this, there is a new CAP reform section on the Scottish Government website where the information on CAP, papers from the Scottish Government's CAP Stakeholder Group and further information used at the Scottish Government's roadshows can be found.
Scottish Government
31 January 2012