Brussels, 07/06/2016 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament encouraged the development of precision farming (PF) when, in Strasbourg on Tuesday 7 June, it adopted the report by Jan Huitema (ALDE, Netherlands) on enhancing innovation in the agricultural sector.
Precision agriculture provides new whole-farm management approaches, such as GPS/GNSS-technology driven machinery which, in combination with remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPASs or drones), can work arable land with centimetre precision. Parliament says that these techniques could significantly reduce both the use of plant protection products and fertiliser and water use, and combat soil erosion and calls on the Commission to remove the barriers to adopting precision farming.
Parliament calls, too, for the continuous development of innovative plant breeding techniques “with European seed banks nevertheless being maintained, which is vital for new and diverse varieties with higher yields, greater nutritional value, better resistance to pest diseases and adverse weather conditions, and to facilitate greater biodiversity”. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)