Brussels, 04/05/2011 (Agence Europe) - European Commission plans to halt biodiversity loss (see EUROPE 10370) could “make farmers uncompetitive”, say COPA (Committee of Professional Agricultural Organisations in the EU) and COGECA (General Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives in the EU) in a press release published on Wednesday 4 May. The agriculture sector has “a unique ability to provide society with a positive contribution to biodiversity whilst also producing food”, the organisations say. “Win-win” solutions are therefore required which result in “green growth” and enable farmers to halt biodiversity loss at the same time as producing food sustainably.
COPA-COGECA Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen stressed that farmers and forest managers play “a key role in preserving cultural landscapes, avoiding land abandonment and thus maintaining biodiversity and the ecosystem services it provides”. They are also willing to integrate biodiversity friendly farming practices into their daily business. “Positive results have already been achieved through agri-environmental measures and biodiversity protection on a voluntary basis. For example, in areas where forest and agriculture land come together and where the potential for biodiversity is particularly high, cooperative approaches have proven to be successful”, Pesonen argued.
However, as the market is not rewarding farmers' efforts for halting biodiversity loss, “financial support is needed to enable farmers to proceed in a way which is positive for biodiversity without endangering their viability, profitability and competitiveness”, added COPA and COGECA. They point out that farmers are “fully aware” of their responsibilities on preserving the genetic diversity of animals and plants used for production. Maintaining genetic diversity, including plant varieties not yet used for agricultural production, will become even more important in the context of climate change. “Agriculture and forest management should be allowed to respond to increasing demands for bio-energy and biomaterials whilst contributing to the implementation of the new EU biodiversity strategy”, Pesonen said. (L.C./transl.rt)