On Thursday 2 April, EU agricultural cooperatives and organisations (Copa-Cogeca) requested the postponement of the adoption of the Commission’s communication on the Farm to Fork strategy, due to the negative effects on the agricultural sector which have been caused by the coronavirus.
The Commission plans to adopt this strategy on sustainable food, possibly on 29 April (see EUROPE 12450/31).
The EPP Group, too, has asked for the adoption of this document to be postponed. It seems that the other main groups in the European Parliament do not seem to be requesting this at the moment (see EUROPE 12456/12).
Copa-Cogeca sent a letter to the Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Agriculture, Norbert Lins (EPP, Germany), to highlight the difficult situation of farmers and forest owners and to ask for “the postponement of the presentation and adoption of the Communication on the Farm to Fork Strategy that the Commission is considering for later this month”.
Copa-Cogeca calls for “a fact and science-based reflection on this strategy across the entire food supply chain, one that is clearly based on the lessons learned from managing this global pandemic”.
The organization points out that the initiative will have significant economic, social and environmental impacts.
The Commission is therefore asked to carry out an “inception impact assessment”, not only with regard to the strategy in question, but also with regard to the European Green Deal, “before taking any political or regulatory decision”. This is even more relevant when it comes to the setting of targets such as those to reduce the use of pesticides, fertilisers or antibiotics, says Copa-Cogeca.
Link to the draft Farm to Fork strategy: https://bit.ly/2QOMwbE
CAP reform. Copa and Cogeca members are supportive of reaching a rapid decision on the ongoing legislative processes on the post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the transition regulations. However, the European Parliament political group coordinators are now expecting the CAP reform package to be adopted by the plenary in October. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)