Unusually for these times a cautious optimism is in the air. Last week the European Commission unveiled its much anticipated Farm to Fork strategy, and stuck to its guns with relatively ambitious new targets for agriculture. Predictably enough, the agri-lobby was not happy. Louise Kelleher walks us through the reactions.
The European Commission has caved to pressure from the eco-lobby. At least thatâs the assessment of Spainâs Young Farmers Association (ASAJA) which labelled the Farm to Fork strategy âa grave and unjustified attackâ on EU agriculture.
Farmers in Spain werenât the only ones riled by the ten-year targets set by the Commission for pesticides, antimicrobials, excess nutrients and organic farming. ASAJA decried the new direction of travel as a âheavy blow for European farmingâ. Farming organisations around Europe were similarly upset by the Farm to Fork strategy that was announced on Wednesday.
âOutsourcing our Food Productionâ
COPA-COPEGA set the tone for its member organisations around Europe by raising the now-familiar spectre of food security scares. âLetâs make sure that these strategies don’t end up endangering our Food Security and rural economies â leading to outsourcing of our food production,â warned COPA President Joachim Rukwied.
My opinion from the perspective of a farmer: pic.twitter.com/qO7vvHKpGz
— Joachim Rukwied (@JRukwied) May 20, 2020
COPA-COPEGA warned against âendangering strategic EU interests in food security, agricultural competitiveness and farming income.â
âA comprehensive independent inception impact assessment must be conducted before any legislative action is taken,â cautioned COPA-COPEGA. It also called for âcoherent EU policies and sufficient fundingâ.
âTargets are Not Solutionsâ
COPA-COPEGA questioned the idea of setting these targets in the first place, describing it as a âblindfolded approachâ. The Commission is putting the cart before the horse by announcing targets before impact assessments, it argued.
Why do targets come before impact assessments?
What will happen with the impact assessments show that they are not realistic?
How to achieve this if alternatives are not readily available but need time/investment to be developed? #TargetsAreNotSolutions @SKyriakidesEU https://t.co/lbPlJlkHEy
— COPA-COGECA (@COPACOGECA) May 20, 2020
F2F is not realistic because farmers lack alternatives, says COPA-COPEGA. Farmers âneed alternatives to enable them to reach the ambitious targets without destroying their livelihoods and the European rural economy.â
Farm viability is a pressing concern. The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliersâ Association (ICMSA) grappled with F2F’s definition of sustainability: âThe most serious problem is the most obvious one: When this strategy mentions âsustainabilityâ does that include the sustainability of the farmers and primary food producers?â ICMSA president Pat McCormack told Agriland.
F2F could be counterproductive, warns the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA). âThese EU strategies could be counterproductive as they will drive European farmers out of business, leaving the EU dependent on these imports and threatening food security,â said IFA president Tim Cullinan, as reported by Agriland.
The Czech Farmersâ Association used similar language to express its concerns. âThe targets of the strategy are counterproductive,â argued Jaroslav Ć ebek, president of the Czech Farmersâ Association (ASZ). âPolitically motivated limitations will do no good.â
Czech farmers are afraid of losing their competitive edge. Thatâs their main concern with outsourcing food production to third countries. âThe costs of adhering to safety restrictions are already several times higher than in third countries,â said VladimĂr PĂcha, spokesperson for the Agricultural Association of the Czech Republic. âThe new strategy may further increase this imbalance,â he told local news server iDnes.
Going Down the âRoad to Degrowthâ
The French farm lobby warns the EU is going down the wrong road. The Commission has learned no lessons about food sovereignty from the Covid-19 crisis, said the French Federation of Farming Workersâ Unions (FNSEA).
The FNSEA argued: âwhile the environmental impact of F2F is uncertain, what is certain is that it will lead to an increase in food imports for Europeansâ.
Apart from objecting to the idea of outsourcing our food production, the FNSEA noted that imported food is often treated with plant protection products that are banned in the EU.
Warning against going down âthe road to degrowthâ, the FNSEA called on the Commission to âreturn to the route of sustainable growthâ: this would mean a Green Deal that delivers in economic, social and environmental terms. The FNSEA wants to see a âproperâ green transition that favours innovative investment â especially in the digital domain â and is supported by the new CAP.
Big Food as âPart of the Solutionâ
Industry groups meanwhile scrambled to express support for the new strategy, and were careful to keep their criticisms more nuanced.
European Poultry Meat is part of the solution!
Read the response of AVEC on the newly proposed Farm to fork strategy here https://t.co/7PCXEEvLgr#Farm2Fork #EUPoultry #meatthefacts pic.twitter.com/iNxXy1zfUJ— avec (@AvecPoultry) May 20, 2020
Poultry industry lobby group AVEC insists that European poultry meat is âpart of the solutionâ, and fears that the new demands on producers will jeopardize EU food security.
Like the farmers’ organizations, AVEC claimed the livestock sector is unfairly blamed for climate change. “Livestock production represents less than 6 %Â of the total EU emissions â other sectors outside agriculture contribute a lot more.â
âMeatâ the facts
The coming legislative procedure must be informed by âobjective facts and science,â insists AVEC. Like COPA-COPEGA it called for âthoroughâ impact assessments to ensure that targets for organic farming, pesticides and fertilisers wonât impinge on food security.
They werenât the only lobby group disputing the facts. European Livestock Voice made use of its slick social media presence to encourage the public to #meatthefacts. On Wednesday, the day of the Farm to Fork launch, European Livestock Voice asked: âBut how much do we really know about livestock and the environment?â
The EU aims to transform our food system in line with climate aspirations.
But how much do we really know about livestock and the environment?
Read our FAQ to #MeattheFacts!#EUFarm2Fork https://t.co/3ZzLUT4jqt pic.twitter.com/vyMc5Bx5nf— European Livestock Voice (@LivestockVoice) May 21, 2020
The lobby group insisted that European livestock farmers are already taking action to deliver on animal welfare, public health demands and environmental concerns.
Europeans want affordable food, that delivers on #animalwelfare and public health demands, taking into account environmental concerns.
European livestock farmers are already taking action to deliver on that.đ#EUFarm2Fork #MeattheFacts pic.twitter.com/5saYdE82lO— European Livestock Voice (@LivestockVoice) May 20, 2020
As Twitter users breathlessly live-tweeted the Commission’s unprecedented targets for sustainability, European Livestock Voice almost seemed to be wondering what all the fuss was about. âThe European livestock sector is constantly making improvements to ensure sustainable farming practices,â the lobby group reassured us.
The European livestock sector is constantly making improvements to ensure sustainable farming practices.#EUFarm2Fork #MeattheFacts pic.twitter.com/Jm7o42dNKU
— European Livestock Voice (@LivestockVoice) May 20, 2020
Animal medicine manufacturers meanwhile only want the best for animals, according to Animal Health Europe. Antibiotic sales are down anyway, argues the lobby group. It is keen to further improve the responsible use of antibiotics. However, âreduction targets should never jeopardize animal healthâ
A lot has been done to reduce the need for veterinary antibiotic use in Europe, & our industry is committed to continuing our efforts to further improve the responsible use of antibiotics.
Reduction targets should never jeopardise #AnimalHealth.#EUFarm2Fork #AnimalHealthMatters pic.twitter.com/CdLDzkK1Xo— AnimalhealthEurope (@animalhealthEU) May 21, 2020
The European Crop Protection Association (ECPA) took a similar tack on pesticides targets. Also invoking food security, it said that farmers need âaccess to solution optionsâ.
If access to plant protection products decreases, so does a farmer's ability to battle #pests and disease. Access to solution options is essential to maintain future harvests #EUFarm2Fork #MoreWithLess pic.twitter.com/mvxjftHPP6
— ECPA (@cropprotection) May 21, 2020
âTargets alone are not the solution,â argued ECPA Director General GĂ©raldine Kutas in an op-ed for Euractiv that echoed this COPA-COPEGA talking point. Instead she called for dialogue and cooperation among all stakeholders. âWe all share the same goal â a more sustainable agriculture â for our planet, for our children,â stated the head of the European Crop Protection Association.
Beware âGastro-nationalismâ
Lobby group FoodDrinkEurope was careful to state its support for the Farm to Fork strategy. But it warned against âgastro-nationalismâ â in other words, it says Member States must not undermine the Single Market through protectionism.
European food is famous for being safe, nutritious and of high quality. đœïž đȘđș đ„€
As Europe's largest manufacturer, the EU food and drink industry is committed to playing its part towards more sustainable food systems.
Read our full statement on #EUFarm2Fork below âŹïž
— FoodDrinkEurope (@FoodDrinkEU) May 20, 2020
Cereals lobby group Coceral had a similar warning: âThere is a a fine line between shorter supply chains and protectionism. We must not fall in the trap of protectionism.â
đš On implications of #EUFarm2Fork on supply chains to avoid too few suppliers and #protectionism, @TimmermansEU said if you look globally, this pandemic is creating a different look at the supply chains in US and Asia, not only in the EU. /1
— COCERAL (@COCERAL_EU) May 20, 2020
Farmers left out?
The Farm to Fork strategy was launched to much fanfare on Wednesday by European Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans, Health and Food Safety Commissioner Stella Kyriakides, and Environment Commissioner Virginijus SinkeviÄius. Eyebrows were raised however by the curious absence on the podium of Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski. The agri-lobby was quick to tweet the alarm. European farmers have been sidelined, fumed JosĂ© MarĂa Castilla BarĂł, a lobbyist for ASAJA.
Dear Commissioner, You give the impression that you have sidelined #European #farmers @COPACOGECA @_CEJA_. Why weren't you presenting the strategies of #Biodiversity & #F2F? Don't they take you into account in @EU_Commission or have they sidelined @EUAgri? We are very angry đ€.. pic.twitter.com/QPcfvq74P1
— JOSĂ MARĂA CASTILLA (@JMCASTILLABARO) May 20, 2020
Far from leaving ag out in the cold, Wojciechowskiâs department were quick to reassure Twitter users that they were âcentral in shaping the proposalsâ and that the âCAP will support farmers in the transitionâ.
Hi @MikeODwyer3, today the EC was represented by the VP responsible for the Green Deal and the cssrs responsible for the 2 proposals. Cssr Wojciechowski & our service were central in shaping the proposals, and the CAP will support farmers in the transitionhttps://t.co/D4zINzzMZf pic.twitter.com/Xr7aEv4Ozz
— EU Agricultuređ± (@EUAgri) May 20, 2020
The Agriculture Commissioner’s absence didn’t go unnoticed by Pekka Pesonen, Secretary General of COPA-COPEGA. âWhere is Commissioner Wojciechowski in this press conference?â tweeted Pesonen. âHe is supposed to put large chunks of the package into practice in the CAP?â
Wojciechowski didnât respond directly. He did however retweet the response of a colleague in DG SANTE, Brian Kilgallen, who stressed the central role of farmers in the Farm to Fork strategy: âALL Commission services are involved and ALL will be involved in roll-out.â
The Press conference featured the two Commissioner leading on the two strategies being adopted. ALL Commission services are involved and ALL will be involved in roll-out.
Page 1 literally refers to the importance of farmers. And it goes on from there.
Please read it!— Brian Kilgallen (@Mossyvet) May 20, 2020
Commission Vice-President Timmermans was accused of ignoring young farmers. âOur #FarmtoFork strategy is not against farmers, on the contrary, we need to work with farmers who are the stewards of our environment,â responded Timmermans in a tweet.
In that case it might have been useful, dear commissionner, if the #EUFarm2Fork would have taken into account our concerns, challenges and ambitions.
You cannot first ignore #youngfarmers and afterwards be surprised we're disappointed in your work… https://t.co/rzi1X9cutH
— Jannes Maes (@JannesMaes) May 22, 2020
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