On Thursday 24 March, the European Parliament adopted (413 votes in favour, 120 against and 49 abstentions) a joint resolution (EPP, S&D, Renew Europe, ECR) in favour of an urgent EU action plan to ensure food security in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
An EPP amendment calling for a review of the ‘Farm to Fork’ and ‘Biodiversity’ strategies was narrowly defeated (274 votes in favour, 289 against, 20 abstentions). Another amendment from this group, which was endorsed, states that, given the current market situation, “the ambition of a 10% reduction in production areas cannot be implemented”.
The Parliament believes that legislative proposals arising from the ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy must first be subject to full impact assessments, “while taking into account the potential consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on European and global food security”. Declines in production levels should also be avoided.
In another EPP amendment, MEPs call on the European Commission to give Member States the flexibility to temporarily allow farmers to produce on ecological focus areas “using plant protection products and fertilisers, if necessary”.
Helping Ukrainians. In the resolution and in the plenary debate the day before, MEPs stressed the need to urgently help Ukraine with food aid, seeds, fuel and plant protection products.
The European Commission and international partners are working to “ensure that the necessary inputs like seeds and fertilisers can reach Ukraine and that transportation and storage facilities are maintained to enable Ukraine to feed its citizens”, explained Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski. He spoke to the Polish Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, who reportedly assured him that “Poland can provide diesel for Ukraine from the strategic reserve”.
Mr Wojciechowski is also calling on Member States to use their CAP strategic plans to “strengthen the sustainability and resilience of their agricultural sectors by reducing dependence on energy, pesticides and nutrients and by prioritising actions that increase yields”.
A start, according to the EPP. Herbert Dorfmann (EPP, Italy) welcomed the mobilisation of the agricultural crisis reserve, “but this can only be a start. More money will probably be needed”. Allowing farmers to cultivate ecological focus areas is, in Mr Dorfmann’s view, “a drop in the ocean”.
In contrast to the EPP group (and others in the ID and ECR groups), the S&D, Renew Europe and Greens/EFA political families are calling for the retention of the ‘European Green Deal’ targets.
Iratxe García (S&D, Spain) stressed that the big challenge for our agriculture will be “to reduce our dependence on fertilisers that we import from Russia and Belarus”.
Instead of using artificial fertilisers, “we should use more and more organic fertilisers” (e.g. animal manure), suggested Jan Huitema (Renew Europe, Netherlands).
Rethinking the CAP. Martin Häusling (Greens/EFA, Germany) said the CAP needed to be rethought, especially as only 20% of grain is used for human consumption. “Can Europe remain the meat counter of the world? No!”, said Mr Häusling. He advises that the use of fuels containing biofuels no longer be allowed.
For Mara Bizzotto (ID, Italy), the ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy and the CAP need to be radically changed.
Veronika Vrecionová (ECR, Czech Republic) called for an end to oil and gas imports from Russia.
Anja Hazekamp (The Left, Netherlands) argued for reducing the size of the livestock industry and against EU farm subsidies.
Middle way. For Jérémy Decerle (Renew Europe, France), we must “put food sovereignty and our environmental ambitions on the same level”.
On behalf of the French Presidency of the Council of the EU, Clément Beaune also felt that there was no contradiction between the CAP’s function as a food source and its contribution to the environmental transition. “There is no European choice to be made between these two imperatives”, concluded the Secretary of State for European Affairs. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)