THE NFU is urging Euro MPs to strip out the bureaucracy of CAP reform proposals and focus on providing the conditions for farmers to thrive.

The European Parliament’s Agriculture Committee votes on the proposals next Wednesday and Thursday.

In total MEPs submitted nearly 8,000 amendments to the European Commission’s controversial CAP reform proposals.

Meurig Raymond, NFU deputy president, said they were particularly supporting measures to change the Commission’s greening proposals.

He said: “As they stand, they would add huge administrative complexity and create a sizeable dent in our productive capacity.

“We are also working with MEPs to limit Defra’s ambition to unilaterally cut farm payments by up to 20 per cent and to make sure there is an acceptable transition period to allow farmers sufficient time to adjust to the move away from the historical payment model.”