There will be no turning back on this EU ‘green deal’ for farming
The EU Commission is determined to prevent Member States from ‘watering down’ the core objectives of the sustainable farming targets outlined in its ‘Farm to Fork’ proposals
The European Green Deal is the flagship proposal of the current European Commission. It is a growth strategy that aims to make Europe climate-neutral by 2050 and to decouple economic growth from continued use of natural resources.
A central element is a shift to a more sustainable system of agricultural production that minimises farming’s environmental footprint and does more to protect and sustain nature. There is also a need to minimise food waste and to address the role of poor diets in the growing burden of chronic disease.
The strategy also foresees the creation of new opportunities for farmers in the bioeconomy as well as strengthening farmers’ position in the food chain. The intention is to set in motion incremental but irreversible change in European agriculture, while strengthening its resilience to possible future crises.
The food and farming aspects of the European Green Deal were spelled out in the Commission’s Farm to Fork (F2F) and Biodiversity Strategies published last month. Both of these strategies include a number of headline targets as well as a timeline of actions setting out when the Commission proposes to submit legislative or other initiatives.
The main targets affecting agriculture are set out in the accompanying table.
The main Commissioner responsible for action to meet these targets is also listed. Although DG AGRI will be responsible for some of the targets and actions, other Directorates-General such as Environment (DG ENVI), Health and Food Safety (DG HEALTH) and Climate Action (CLIMA) will also play a major role.
The proposed targets and actions in the F2F and Biodiversity Strategies raise many questions. How likely is it that these targets will be adopted and implemented? How do these targets relate to the reform of the CAP framework proposed by the Commission in June 2018 and which is still under discussion by the European legislators?
Funding
Will there be additional funding to help farmers adapt their farming practices to meet any new targets that might be adopted?
The first point to make is that the F2F and Biodiversity Strategies are Commission Communications, not legislative proposals. Farm organisations have sought greater clarity around the analytical basis behind some of the targets. The Director-General for DG AGRI has confirmed that there will be an impact analysis before any legislation is introduced. As legislation is not foreseen for some initiatives until 2022 or even 2023, this will leave time for more detailed consideration of some of the targets.
However, not all targets will be or need to be embodied in legislation to have an impact. A non-legislative target such as the objective to increase the area farmed organically can be an important signpost when Member States come to draw up their CAP Strategic Plans.
In response to a specific request from the European Parliament, the Commission also published an analysis last month in which it examined the links between the CAP reform and the Green Deal.
The Commission concluded that its CAP proposal, and especially the nine specific objectives that are set out for the CAP post 2020, were already in line with the Green Deal ambitions for the food system.
It warned against weakening some key aspects of its proposal, such as the principle that the new CAP must have greater environmental and climate ambition, and that the standards for enhanced conditionality (crosscompliance) should not be watered down.
The Commission pointed to some gaps that would need to be addressed. It now supports the idea of ring-fencing minimum funds for eco-schemes in Pillar 1 of the CAP. It wants animal welfare and antibiotic legislation to be included among the legislative acts that the future CAP Strategic Plans must take into account.
It has also proposed to make recommendations to Member States on how the Green Deal targets should be addressed in their CAP Strategic Plans prior to their finalisation. How Member States incorporate these recommendations into their Plans will become an important element in whether the Commission will approve the Plans.
In this way, these targets can have an important indirect impact on the priorities and the way resources are allocated in the CAP Strategic Plan.
Agriculture Ministers had their first
Pesticides
Farming and farm payments in the EU will become much more sustainably-driven if the Commission succeeds in implementing its ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy over the coming decade. And while some of the targets in the strategy may well be tweaked before they are finally approved, the broad direction of travel will not change says Alan Matthews. chance to discuss the Commission proposals at their meeting in early June under the Croatian Presidency. They broadly welcomed both Strategies while stressing that their ambitious goals had to be matched by an ambitious CAP budget.
Concerns were also expressed that efforts to limit the use of pesticides and antibiotics may reduce EU farmers’ competitiveness in the global market.
Responsibility for the European Parliament’s opinion will be shared between the Agriculture and Environment Committees depending on which Commission DirectorateGeneral has the lead responsibility for different elements. Agriculture Committee MEPs will share some of the reservations of Agriculture Ministers, but the Environment Committee is likely to be strongly in support.
In summary, although some of the targets in the F2F Strategy may well be tweaked before they are finally approved, the broad direction of travel will not change.
Farmers will need to underpin their sustainability claims with objective evidence that emissions are falling, pesticide use is falling, chemical fertiliser use is falling, antibiotic use is falling, and biodiversity is recovering.
There is an enormous task ahead both for the research system and advisory services to ensure that farmers are as well equipped as possible to meet these challenges while ensuring their longer-term viability.
There is an enormous challenge ahead for the farm research and advisory services to ensure farmers can meet these challenges while ensuring their longer-term viability
Alan Matthews is Professor Emeritus of European Agricultural Policy at Trinity College Dublin