German Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner showed pragmatism in presenting to the European Parliament's Environment Committee on Thursday 16 July the German Presidency's priorities for agriculture, which she had presented only the previous day to the European Parliament's Agriculture Committee (see EUROPE 12528/19).
She called for an agricultural system that respects the environment, but one “without ideology” in order to enable farmers to ensure food security and earn enough income from their work.
This concern for a balance could build a bridge between those MEPs most concerned about protecting the environment and those on the right (EPP, ECR) or the far right (ID) who fear there are too many burdens to ensure the survival of farmers and the competitiveness of European agriculture.
“We want to fight this pandemic and get out of the economic crisis. This is the core of our Presidency's work. It has been a worrying fact that some supermarkets have not received sufficient supplies. It is essential that agriculture continues to produce safe food in sufficient quantities. But this is not a foregone conclusion”, said Klöckner.
The Farm to Fork strategy. The Minister welcomed the fact that the strategy takes the environment into account, but noted that the Presidency is awaiting the Commission's guidelines for its implementation. It's important to evaluate this strategy “and keep in mind the economic consequences” in line with the three pillars of sustainable development – economic, environmental and social – the minister said, emphasising the importance of farmers who earn a living from their work. She hopes for conclusions to be ready at the end of October.
Nutritional labelling, an EU-wide animal welfare label, and reducing food waste are three priorities, explained Ms Klöckner. She is also looking forward to a proposal on the calorific labelling of foodstuffs by the end of 2022.
Animal welfare. The German Minister emphasised the need to achieve a clear objective, given the very different approaches in place in different countries. “Respect for animal welfare must be reflected in the price of food”, she said.
Reduction of food waste. In the EU, 88 million tonnes of food are wasted every year. The reduction targets have been set and according to Ms Klöckner, the 2016 EU Council conclusions must be implemented and Member States and the European Commission must make their reports.
CAP reform. The objective is to “conclude negotiations as soon as possible” (see EUROPE 12528/19). According to the Minister, there are five elements to take into consideration: - commitments to farmers to ensure their income; - increasing protections for the environment, the climate and animals; - greater simplification to avoid bureaucracy; - maintaining the orientation of the market: continuing to listen to consumers, preserving the achievements of the internal market for agriculture; - being united: the Coronavirus crisis has seen the emergence of different nationalisms that are undermining the single market.
Consensus building. Asked by Christine Schneider (EPP, Germany) about how to achieve the target of a 50% reduction in pesticide use by 2030, she said that, “given the huge diversity of views”, the Presidency's mission was to “take common steps forward”. She believes that standardisation, precision agriculture and genetic technology can all help.
Similarly, digital technology can assist consumers in making informed choices over healthier eating, she said.
In response to Jytte Guteland (S&D, Sweden), who asked about lower-risk pesticides, Ms Klöckner argued for an open discussion on the matter. “Of course, there will always be new substances that are better than the previous ones, but copper, for example, which is used for vines, also has an impact”.
In reply to an ID MEP who had heard her the day before criticising the Biodiversity Strategy and reproaching it for not being in tune with the Ministry of the Environment, Svenja Schulze replied: “criticising does not mean that I don't agree”. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang)