Brussels, 12/03/2012 (Agence Europe) - COPA (Committee of Professional Agricultural Organisations of the EU) and COGECA (General Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives) were somewhat sceptical on Monday 12 March of new EU Commission proposals which make the EU forestry and farming sectors monitor and report from 2013 any changes to land use that could affect greenhouse gas emissions, as part of measures to curb climate change (see related article). These proposals “are neither feasible nor coherent given the current level of understanding”, stated COPA-COGECA Secretary General Pekka Pesonen.
The Commission proposes that member states draw up accounts on afforestation, reforestation, deforestation, forest management, crop land management and grazing land management connected to carbon, methane and nitrous oxide emissions. Member states will also be required to submit action plans to limit or reduce emissions, and the Commission may issue recommendations “with a view to enhancing member states' efforts”.
Pesonen argues that this is not in line with international commitments recently agreed under the second commitment period for the Kyoto Protocol from 1 January 2013 in Durban. COPA-COGECA calls on the Commission to explain why it wants to change the rules only three months after Durban. Secondly, scientific knowledge of the carbon storage capacity and emissions from soils, and the effects of different management methods on them, “is still far from complete”, the organisations say. COPA-COGECA, therefore, take the view that, given the administrative burden and cost of monitoring and the significant uncertainties associated with it, compulsory accounting for agricultural soils and grazing land should not be included in any Commission proposals until a clear decision is taken at the international talks. COPA-COGECA insists that accounting for forest and agricultural soils must remain voluntary. “With the upcoming CAP reform, food demand increasing, EU farmers and their cooperatives being confronted with major challenges such as dwindling resources and rising production costs, I urge the EU institutions to avoid imposing any additional constraints on farmers and acting too hastily”, Pesonen said. (LC/transl.rt)