On Friday 27 March, the EPP group in the European Parliament requested “another postponement” of the planned strategy on sustainable food ('from Farm to Fork'), “until at least after the summer” of 2020.
Due to the institutional upheaval created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the European Commission has already postponed the adoption of this strategy by one month to 29 April (see EUROPE 12450/31). According to the agenda of 24 March, this item is on the agenda for the meeting on 29 April, but this is yet to be ‘confirmed’.
According to the EPP, “the strategy would impose new rules and restrictions on farmers across Europe, who are currently coping with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic and have to ensure food production in Europe at the same time”.
Herbert Dorfmann, EPP Group Spokesman for Agriculture stated that “this is certainly not the right time to impose additional rules on farmers”. He believes that “we are facing the biggest crisis that the agricultural sector has seen in decades”.
The entire agriculture sector is heavily affected by the spread of the coronavirus, “but the wine sector and the fresh product sector suffer the most”.
Therefore, in the coming months, the EU should focus instead on how to help the agricultural sector “to recover from this crisis as quickly as possible”, Dorfmann emphasises.
Final arbitrations. The Commission has yet to agree on the quantified objectives for reducing the risks associated with the use of plant protection products and fertilisers (50% reduction?) and on the areas (30%?) to be set aside for organic farming (see EUROPE 12436/6).
After the finalisation of the interservice consultation phase, these objectives have still not been set, at this stage, in the draft strategy. These figures are still marked with 'X' in the last draft seen by EUROPE.
Approximately 20 major initiatives are on the agenda, most of them entrusted to the Directorate-General for Health Care.
Among the new features of this draft 'Farm to Fork' strategy, the Directorate General for Agriculture should be called upon to assess the conformity of the granting of couple income support (support that remains linked to production while support is, for the most part, decoupled) with a view to improving the sustainability of the supported sectors.
A review of animal welfare legislation is planned, including animal transport, and the Commission will “step up the fight against food fraud”.
In the field of catering, the Commission is committed to setting mandatory minimum criteria for the purchase of sustainable food products so that cities, regions and public authorities can “source sustainable food products for schools, hospitals and public institutions”.
The final political arbitrations, on the most sensitive issues, are expected in the coming weeks.
Link to the draft: https://bit.ly/2QOMwbE (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)