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At the time the proposals came to light, many of those who commented on them qualified their comments saying the recommendations were a long way from being finalised, as they were due for official release in October, nevertheless, Mr Kendall has taken the step of writing to Commissioner Ciolos, saying he believes that, if passed, some of the EC's proposals could have negative results, including higher food prices.

The leaked document called for the introduction of greening measures, linking direct payments to compulsory environmental targets. In order to receive 30 per cent of their direct payment, farmers would be required to devote 5 per cent of land to ecological purposes, maintain permanent grassland and grow at increase the variety of crops grown. 

Contrary to calls made today by conservation groups including the RSPB, who revealed that over the past 30 years the number of farmland birds in the EU has fallen dramatically, Kendall railed against the EC proposals to green the CAP. He said, "It seems that Commissioner Ciolos remains intent on justifying part of the direct payments on the basis of compulsory actions to benefit the environment. This is despite the NFU arguing that the best way to achieve environmental benefits is through targeted, multi-annual schemes such as ELS [Entry Level Stewardship] and willing partnerships like the CFE [Campaign for the Farmed Environment]."

He warned that moves to green the CAP could discourage farmers from entering into such schemes. He went on to warn that the definition of ‘permanent pasture’ must be flexible enough to allow farmers to improve their grass leys and continued that the proposed changes could have other detrimental effects, "With inflation running high, the Commission need to be sensitive to how its proposals will affect food prices. If farmers are forced to set-aside at least five per cent of productive land and devote another five per cent of their arable land to growing a third crop, then we will run into supply issues very quickly."

 Finally, Mr Kendall took aim at the proposed ban on ploughing carbon rich soils, saying "It is unbelievable that the Commission could even be thinking of banning ploughing in certain soil types. If such a ban were implemented, severe restrictions could be placed on some of England’s finest and most productive soils. The result of which would simply see production exported to other parts of the world, with worse environmental consequences, and British farmers battling with weeds and pests."

Scottish CAP calls slammed as 'pinching' funds

After a meeting between Food and Farming Secretary Caroline Spelman and Richard Lochhead, her opposite number in the Scottish Government, in Edinburgh yesterday, in which Lochhead stress that Scotland should get a 'fairer' allocation of the CAP budget, English and Northern Irish unions reviled the calls as "divisive."

Mr Lochhead claimed added financial support would ensure Scottish farming remained productive and of a consistently high standard. He said, "The CAP reforms are vital to farming in Scotland and we must get it right in our negotiations with the EU - Scotland's farmers depend on us to do so."

"CAP payments play a vital role in ensuring the continuity of food supply, environmental benefits and the delivery of wider public benefits. These important outcomes would be at risk without this financial support. There must be a stronger link between support and farming activity in future, or these benefits could be lost."

Calls for a more equitable redistribution of the CAP within the UK, as well as at an EU level, by some Scottish ministers have met with criticism by many elsewhere in the UK. After Scottish Liberal Democrat MEP Geroge Lyons called for an extension to the EC proposal that money be redistributed between member states, so that it also applied within the UK, his demands were criticised by farmers' unions.

The changes would result in a 40 per cent increase in Scotland’s direct payments budget, which is currently below average, but would impact directly on Northern Ireland and England, which are above average. The redistribution would be worth around £225 million a year to Scottish farmers.

Mr Lyons said Scotland currently receives just €109 per hectare in CAP support, whereas England and Northern Ireland receive much more than that, €290/h and €350/ha respectively. However, his argument has been criticised as a “simplistic analysis” by the NFU and Ulster Farmers Union (UFU).

NFU CAP adviser Gail Soutar pointed out that average direct payments were considerably higher in Scotland than in England and said, "There are hundreds of thousands of hectares of very poor unproductive land which carry very low entitlements.It would be these areas that would benefit spectacularly if George Lyon’s flat rate of €109/ha were implemented. It’s hard to see what justification would support such a shift."