On Wednesday 23 March, the European Commission will adopt a communication setting out “short-term measures to support food security” in the context of the war in Ukraine and ways of “addressing the deficiencies revealed by the developing crisis in ways that enhance the transition towards sustainable, resilient and fair food systems in the EU and globally”.
According to a draft communication obtained by EUROPE, “food security in war-torn Ukraine is of great concern” and the 2022 harvest in the country, known as the breadbasket of Europe, “will be substantially impacted by warfare”, the draft says.
Ukrainian farmers need seeds, fuel, fertilisers and plant protection products to ensure their production. The draft text thus emphasises the need for urgent food aid to Ukraine.
This will require solidarity with Ukraine “by providing food aid, humanitarian assistance and support to its agricultural sector” (seeds, fuel).
Food security in the EU. The EU is largely self-sufficient in many agricultural products and is a net exporter of wheat. However, the EU is a considerable net importer of some specific products that may be difficult to replace (quickly), such as feed protein or sunflower oil. “There is no risk of widespread shortages for consumers”, the draft communication states. While the stability of the EU’s food supply is not at risk, these vulnerabilities, combined with high input costs, could lead to further increases in food prices, the European Commission warns.
The Commission refers to the various proposals, some of which are already known to benefit EU farmers (see other news on the Agriculture Council):
- in order to better monitor stock levels, the Commission will suggest that Member States provide monthly data on private stocks of essential food and feed products to give an accurate picture of their availability;
- in view of the current exceptional situation, the Commission will propose a support package (of €500 million), including through making use of the crisis reserve, to support the most affected producers;
- private storage aid for the pig sector will be mobilised;
- to address possible cash-flow problems this autumn, the Commission will allow Member States to pay farmers increased levels of advances of direct payments and area- and animal-related rural development measures from 16 October 2022;
- to increase the EU’s production capacity, the Commission will adopt an implementing act to allow Member States to derogate exceptionally and temporarily from certain greening obligations (countries will be able to allow the production of any crop on fallow land that is part of Ecological Focus Areas in 2022 while maintaining the full level of the greening payment).
In addition, some Member States have decided to reduce the blending proportion of biofuels, which could lead to a reduction in the amount of EU agricultural land used for biofuel feedstock production, thus easing the pressure on the markets for food and feed commodities.
New Temporary Crisis Framework. To enable Member States to address the severe economic disruption resulting from the war in Ukraine, the Commission will adopt a new ‘Temporary Crisis Framework’. This framework will support businesses directly or indirectly affected by the crisis, including farmers and fishermen, in the form of liquidity support and aid for increased gas and electricity costs. This could include aid, including operating aid, to farmers affected by significant increases in input costs (in particular feed and fertiliser) as well as aid to energy-intensive businesses (such as fertiliser manufacturers).
Sustainable food systems. The current crisis highlights the dependence of EU agriculture on imported inputs such as fossil fuels, fertilisers and animal feed, “confirming the necessity of a fundamental reorientation of EU agriculture and EU food systems towards sustainability, in line with the Green Deal and the revised Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)”, says the Commission.
In particular, Member States are invited to use the new CAP strategic plans to prioritise investments that reduce dependence on gas and fuel and inputs (pesticides and fertilisers), such as investments in sustainable biogas production, reducing dependence on Russian gas, investments in precision farming (reducing dependence on synthetic and mineral fertilisers as well as on chemical fertilisers) or support for low-carbon agriculture.
In this way the Commission intends to respond to the EU leaders’ Versailles Declaration, inviting the Commission to present options to address the issue of rising food prices and global food security (see EUROPE 12909/1).
Link to the draft communication on food security: https://aeur.eu/f/us (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)