Brussels, 29/01/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 27 January, the European Parliament's agriculture committee said at an expert hearing that farming can help slow down global warming but needs to be adapted to match the impact of climate change.
Agriculture is part of the problem of climate change and yet part of the solution at the same time, commented Paolo de Castro (S&D, Italy), chair of the EP's agriculture committee. He said it was vital to consider measures to be taken to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions generated by farming, encourage farmers to adapt to the impact of the current changes and to develop farming's potential as for carbon storage. Climate change was not sufficiently addressed during the recent health check of the common agricultural policy (CAP) and has to be included in the debate on the future of the CAP after 2013 (when the current EU five-year budget - known as the financial perspectives - runs out).
"Agriculture can provide solutions for the future," given its direct relationship with the earth and living things, said the European Parliament's rapporteur on agriculture and climate change, Stéphane Le Foll (S&D, France). In the past, problems have been dealt with on a one-off basis, one after the other (by introducing EU directives on pesticides, soil, water and so on) but in order to have an overview of farming and climate change, Le Foll said one would have to examine how farming can emit less greenhouse gas and how it can capture and store as much greenhouse gas as possible (in soil, for example).
Organic farming should be extended, as should new techniques to restrict greenhouse gas emissions and improve carbon capture, said Le Foll, but transition solutions for making farming more sustainable also had to be found.
Le Foll's draft report recommends measures to adjust EU farming to the impact of climate change. It argues that the CAP should give financial incentives to EU farmers to take measures to adapt farming to climate change as required in their region, measures like proper management of water (more efficient irrigation systems, hillside reservoirs, etc); choosing crop varieties and choosing crop rotation according to considerations like drought and disease; protecting the soil from water and wind erosion and ensuring organic matter control; planting hedges and wooded areas on the edges of farmland to retain water, limit run-off, act as windbreaks and provide shelter for crop auxiliaries like pollinating insects; monitoring and controlling insects and disease; and managing forests in such a way as to limit the risk of fire. The draft report notes that global warming is forcing the EU to re-invent its development model. The Commission is urged to consider in its future report on post-2013 reform of the CAP adjusting the CAP to turn it into a food, farm and environmental policy, with a system of aid for farmers that is more sustainable, fairer and more legitimate as far as public opinion is concerned and also gives true meaning to farming as a vocation. The Commission is asked to consider new aid systems to encourage carbon capture in the ground and in agricultural biomass. In parallel, Le Foll believes risk and crisis management mechanisms need to change to cope with the growing volatility of prices on the commodity markets and the growth of climate dangers. A true EU policy of natural disaster prevention and management needs to be introduced. The EP's agriculture committee will vote on Le Foll's report on 17 March 2010.
"Conservation agriculture" is the way to reconcile farming and the environment, said US Department of Agriculture scientist Donald Reicosky. He explained that soil carbon sequestration can offer several opportunities to improve the ecosystem. Carbon in the soil increases water-holding capacity and reduces erosion, but it can also reduce air pollution, fertiliser inputs and capacity to handle waste materials. To this end, "limiting soil disturbance and improving the cropping system" are the first steps to take, said Reicosky in reply to questions by Mairead McGuinness (EPP, Ireland), George Lyon (ALDE, UK) and Luis Capoulas Santos (S&D, Portugal).
The CAP should "focus on maintaining agricultural traditions and the policy should be kept as strong as it has been in the past," said Esther Herranz Garcia (EPP, Spain). Martin Häusling (Greens/EFA, Germany) instead stressed the need to give more support to rural development projects, the "second pillar" of the CAP.
“Across Europe, forestry and agri-environmental measures within the second pillar of the CAP are already making a substantial contribution to climate change mitigation,” said Rob Cooke, Director of Natural England, a UK government advisory body. José Bové (Greens/EFA, France) said the CAP economic model had failed to help the industry. "We need to change the model" and deliver "a new CAP able to turn its back on 30 years of mistakes," he argued. John Agnew (EFD, UK) questioned the reliability of future scenarios based on available scientific data. A combination of old and new methods is needed to help farming look after the land, said Marit Paulsen (ALDE, Sweden).
The impact of climate change on agriculture could result in water shortages and drought, new diseases, heat stress for animals and risks linked to extreme weather events, said Maciej Jerzy Sadowski, from the Expert Advisory Group "Global Change," an EU research programme. Increasing the resilience of farming systems, improving water management and reserving lands for future production are key factors for a long-term policy response, he said. (L.C./transl.fl)