This weekend, the Prime Minister and his counterparts in the devolved administrations will make decisions that will have huge consequences for the UK countryside.
The RSPB's Chief Executive, Dr Mike Clarke, has written to Mr Cameron outlining the choice he faces and urges him to make the right decision for the future of farming, wildlife and the countryside.
We are urging the Prime Minister to transfer the maximum 15% of Pillar I funding (direct farm subsidies) to Pillar II (rural development which includes incentives for wildlife-friendly farming). The difference between 9% and 15% is £600 million over the seven year CAP period. That is £600 million that can either be spent helping farmers recover threatened wildlife or given to farmers with few strings attached.
The text of the letter is shown below.
Given the significance of the decision, we have placed adverts in newspapers across the UK this weekend encouraging people to use their voice for nature.
You can help ensure as much CAP money as possible helps farmers save our threatened wildlife. Tweet @Number10gov using #CAPreform and ask them not to cut the life from the countryside, and join our campaign here.
Martin, I wonder whether this is crunch time - if the Government jump the wrong way bodies like RSPB will be faced with the hard decision as to whether to go on making the bad better or whether to take a new (and what many will see as a more confrontational) approach altogether. Personally, I'm convinced we need to back to the basics of what society needs from the countryside - and it simply isn't just food and hasn't been for at least 20 + years. And despite the deafening NFU background noise we need to recognise that CAP is simply not doing the job for a wide range of farmers let alone the rest of us.