Overhaul of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is urgently needed “for the EU to meet the sustainable development goals”, says a new study commissioned by some environmental NGOs and published on Thursday 11 May (see EUROPE 11780).
The study was presented by the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) and BirdLife Europe at a conference in Brussels on the future of the CAP attended by Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan. According to the study, the CAP is “highly inefficient” in terms of environmental impacts on biodiversity and climate. In addition, the CAP falls short on addressing the challenges of agricultural sustainability. The study highlights that the mechanisms for environmental protection are there but cannot achieve their goals due to “other competing instruments in the CAP itself”.
The study’s lead author Guy Pe’er says that the good news is that the knowledge and tools needed to move towards a better and smarter CAP are available. “What’s needed now is the political will to use them”, he argues. The NGOs are calling for the “overhaul” of the CAP, going beyond the old twin-pillar approach (direct aid and rural development). The new CAP requires a) increased funding for biodiversity and ecosystems; b) inclusion of the polluter pays principle in the CAP; - the creation of a new food policy for the EU.
CAP, one of the successes of integration. At the conference, Hogan argued that the CAP is one of the true success stories of European integration. He said it had to ensure that farmers produce food “in a sustainable way” and it had to help the EU deliver on its ambitious international agreements, particularly on climate.
“We need to find solutions which combine the productive aspect with environmental preservation. And I sincerely believe that we have real, workable options to achieve this goal”, Hogan said. In his view, the agricultural sector has to become a stronger player in the circular economy, (recycling nutrients; reducing food waste; improving energy usage) and must manage natural resources ever more carefully (water, soil quality, carbon storage, etc.)
Hogan highlighted his controversial proposal to improve biodiversity, banning the use of pesticides on ecological focus areas (see EUROPER 11780). He also made reference to the public consultation which closed last week on modernising and simplifying the CAP. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)