Strengthening solidarity lanes for Ukrainian agricultural products, improving the availability of fertilisers, and legislation on new genomic techniques were among the solutions discussed by EU Agriculture Ministers in Prague on Friday 16 September to ensure food security in these difficult times.
After the informal meeting with his EU counterparts, Zdeněk Nekula, the Czech Minister of Agriculture, defended a “competitive and resilient” agriculture in Europe.
NBT. “We need to help farmers by using innovation and new genomic techniques”, he said. We need to change our legislative framework on modern farming techniques, he advised.
“We need crops that are resistant to drought, frost, disease, and pests. New varieties are needed that require less pesticides and artificial fertilisers. We need modern rules to ensure that production is safe and protects the environment”, said Minister Nekula.
He welcomed the fact that the Commission had confirmed its intention to present a proposal on new genomic techniques in the second half of 2023.
New genomic techniques are “an avenue to be explored as long as they allow us to ensure the agro-ecological transition and deal with climate disruption”, said the French Minister, Marc Fesneau. For the Spanish Minister, Luis Planas, it is even a “magnificent tool” for reducing the use of water, pesticides and fertilisers.
“We are not going to get into the GMO race”, promised Mr Nekula, speaking to the press. He spoke of an approach that remains “close to traditional crops, to have more resistant products. We need Europe-wide rules”.
“We will base the proposal on an impact assessment. We must be very vigilant to avoid risks to the environment, public health and the economic interests of farmers. For example, organic farming must be protected from the potential consequences of these new techniques”, insisted Janusz Wojciechowski, the European Commissioner for Agriculture.
For Christine Lambert, President of Copa (EU agricultural organisations), “we need innovation. A clear and rapid decision is also needed on new genomic techniques. We also need rapid authorisation procedures for low-risk substances and more precision farming”.
Fertiliser. “It is necessary to facilitate the circulation (of fertiliser components) (...) We are also in the process of organising solidarity mechanisms that will allow farmers to obtain fertilisers”, Mr Fesneau stressed. In the medium and long term, “we must either ensure our sovereignty over mineral fertilisers, or make the shift to organic fertilisers so that we no longer run the risk of a shortage”, added the French Minister.
“We are going to think about a European strategy on fertilisers, it is a very good idea”, said Janusz Wojciechowski on Thursday 15 September, in the margins of the informal meeting.
At the end of August, France and Spain called on the Commission to take up the issue. The priority would be to provide financial support to European fertiliser producers, who have been forced to limit their activity because of rising gas prices. The Commissioner recalled the proposal to suspend customs duties on inputs necessary for the manufacture of nitrogen fertilisers. “This measure was necessary, we will see if it is sufficient, if not we will consider other actions”, he said.
The Commissioner stressed the need to find alternative sources of supply and said he would discuss this with the Canadian Minister of Agriculture at the G20 meeting on 26-27 September in Bali. The Agriculture Council on 26 September will discuss the issue of fertilisers.
“Without fertiliser, our production would drop dramatically, so we need to find sustainable alternatives”, says Mr Nekula.
Ukraine. The Commissioner for Agriculture said that in total, around 11.6 million tonnes of cereals, oilseeds and oilseed products were exported from Ukraine via the ‘solidarity lanes’, with more than 3 million tonnes exported in August. The reopening of the Black Sea ports is a source of optimism, since, according to UN data, an additional 3 million tonnes of grain and other foodstuffs carried by 136 cargo ships have left Ukraine since the beginning of August. “These two initiatives have resulted in the export of approximately 14 million tonnes of food, thus making a significant contribution to global food security”, welcomed Janusz Wojciechowski.
He, like the Czech Minister, stressed the need to strengthen these ‘solidarity lanes’.
Risk management. On Thursday 15 September, the Commissioner for Agriculture also outlined his initial ideas for the post-2027 CAP. He wants to strengthen the crisis management tools in the future CAP and even increase the future CAP budget, as a result of the crises. Janusz Wojciechowski considered that the planned budget of the ‘crisis reserve’ for the period 2023-2027 (€500 million per year) was not sufficient.
For Diana Lenzi, President of the European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA), it is necessary to “give farmers the right tools to better manage risks at farm level. This is a responsibility of the Member States and must be passed on to the entire value chain”.
Coherence of CAP tools. At the meeting of the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA) on Thursday 15 September, in the margins of the informal meeting of EU Ministers, the experts also discussed food security and the coherence of the EU’s agricultural tools. Some delegations, such as Slovenia, Hungary and Lithuania, stressed the lack of CAP funding in relation to the scale of the current crisis.
Link to the Czech Presidency of the EU Council document: https://aeur.eu/f/347 (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)