EU farm chief rejects calls to make CAP rules voluntary

EU Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen has rejected proposals from several member states to make key Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) rules voluntary, warning that this would turn the policy into a 'pick-and-choose' menu. The dispute centers on the balance between flexibility for farmers and the integrity of EU-wide standards. This signals a potential rift between the Commission and member states over the future direction of agricultural policy, with implications for EU cohesion and trade negotiations.