Almost 30 farm organisations from across Europe have voiced their concerns about the European Union's Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) or long-term budget.

This week, the European Commission published a document outlining the key policy and budgetary challenges that will shape the design of the next MFF.

The commission, which has also opened a period of public consultation, said the plan “lays the groundwork for reflections on how to adapt the EU’s long-term budget to evolving needs and priorities”.

A group of European farm organisations, including Copa-Cogeca, have co-signed a letter to EU Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen and Commissioner for Budget, Anti-Fraud and Public Administration, Piotr Serafin.

The organisations say they are particularly worried about the idea of reallocating EU expenditure within a single fund.

They claim if this is pursued it would completely transform the structure and governance of the next MFF and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) for the period after 2027.

"While our organisations fully support the principle of simplification, we are deeply concerned that the proposed changes, if implemented, would neither bring simplicity nor less red tape," the letter stated.

The organisations noted that the CAP "functions as a partnership between society, the agricultural sector and the agri-food chain".

"This exercise would lead to disastrous consequences for the EU agricultural sector, to more complexity and uncertainty for our 9 million farmers and would put at risk the stability and performance of the EU agri-food chain, increasing differences among member states and resulting in the fragmentation of the single market," they claimed.

"It would also undermine the multi-annual investment approach so necessary for farmers to improve their competitiveness and become more sustainable, while contributing to the stability and sustainability of the agri-food chain," the letter added.

The organisations said that the idea contradicts the recent report of the Strategic Dialogue for the Future of EU Agriculture.

That report called for “dedicated budget for the CAP”, along with separate funds for an agricultural transition (AJTF) and nature restoration, outside the CAP.

The letter claimed that “National Single Plans” for all EU funds would "represent a task of gigantic proportions likely to take very long and being very burdensome".

"In our view, an increased and dedicated CAP budget remains fundamental for ensuring competitiveness, food security, balanced sustainability, for guaranteeing a decent income for farmers and securing stability and economic performance of the EU agri-food sector," the organisations said.