European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, Stella Kyriakides, provided reassurance on Tuesday 18 February that the Commission would be ambitious in ensuring that the future 'farm to fork' strategy - one of the pillars of the European Green Deal - ensures sustainable food systems throughout the supply chain.
Many members of the European Parliament's Environment Committee, to whom she was speaking, doubted, however, whether the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy would live up to the stated ambition of guaranteeing the consumer a healthy environment and healthy food, free of GMOs, pesticides and other harmful chemicals, such as endocrine disrupters.
"We need to move towards more environmentally friendly food systems. We need to ensure that citizens enjoy the high level of food safety they expect from us. Business as usual is not an option", Kyriakides said. The strategy should be presented on 25 March (see EUROPE 12416/13).
The paradigm shift, she said, also requires easy access for consumers to all the information they need to make informed choices, and support for farmers and fishermen during the transition.
The strategy will address the following priorities: - a reduction in the use and risks of chemical pesticides; - a reduction in fertilisers and antibiotics to meet citizens' concerns, with "realistic targets", the Commissioner said; - improving consumer information on food labelling; - the challenges of food waste; - action on animal welfare.
Roadmap published. The debate with MEPs took place the day after the publication of the roadmap of the strategy, which MEPs have been able to consult. This document is open for comment for 4 weeks, until 16 March. These will be taken into account, the Commission assured.
CAP versus biodiversity and climate? "How can you say that the future CAP will encourage farmers to meet climate objectives and that the 'farm to fork' strategy will only support the CAP's efforts? That's optimistic at best!" Tilly Metz (Greens/EFA, Luxembourg) said. And she denounced the lack of a paradigm shift. "The CAP is not working for the environment or for agriculture", she considered, citing the level of agricultural emissions in 2017, identical to that of 2005, the loss of biodiversity, the decline in soil quality and the disappearance of small farms at an alarming rate.
Labelling. In view of MEPs' differing views on the 'Nutri Score' and Italian MEPs' fears that it might be imposed, Ms Kyriakides said that the principle of harmonisation had been laid down, but that the choice of label would be the result of an analysis.
GMO. Asked whether the Commission would respect Parliament's continued refusal to authorise new GMOs in the future, Ms Kyriakides pointed out that "the Commission works within the existing legal framework and bases its decisions on EFSA opinions".
Endocrine disruptors. Jytte Guteland (S&D, Sweden) asked whether the Commission's Health DG will work closely with the DG Environment in view of the "link between cancer and increasing daily exposure to chemicals". Ms Kyriakides said that "Virginijus Sinkevičius (the Environment Commissioner) will be responsible for the strategy on endocrine disrupters".
Pesticides and free trade. How can a promised 50% reduction in pesticide use be achieved within 10 years when a report by the NGO CEO (Corporate Europe Observatory) has just shown that there is strong commercial pressure to lower standards for residues in foods? (see EUROPE 12427/20) According to Ms Kyriakides, "free trade agreements do not change the level of food safety in the EU".
To see the roadmap of the future strategy: http://bit.ly/2SCmMjU (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)