While European agriculture is generally not very dependent on imported inputs, two sectors are at risk: poultry and pig farming, as regards soya, and cereals, as regards fertilisers, according to a study commissioned by the European Parliament and published on 4 March.
Food sovereignty will also be discussed by the EU agriculture ministers at their informal meeting (7-9 April in Limburg). The European Commission is due to publish a report on protein crop production.
According to the study, commissioned by the European Parliament Committee on Agriculture, the EU agricultural sector is 7.7% dependent on inputs. However, the level of dependence is high for animal products (poultry and pork in particular) and cereals. What’s more, this dependence is concentrated on a small number of suppliers.
In the case of fertilisers, 23% of the phosphate and 34% of the potash used in the EU comes from Russia. In the case of soya, the EU imports 46% from Brazil and 39% from Argentina.
The study (https://aeur.eu/f/b82 ) suggests a number of ways of reducing this dependence, starting with opening up trade (free trade agreements, reducing trade barriers, etc.) in order to increase the number of sources of supply.
The authors also point out that crop productivity can be improved without resorting to input-intensive techniques. They point out that the ‘farm to fork’ strategy aims to contribute to the EU’s self-sufficiency in inputs by 2030 through a target of a 50% reduction in nutrient losses (which should lead to a 20% reduction in fertiliser use), a target of 25% of agricultural land in organic production, the development of alternative sources of protein for animal feed and shorter supply chains. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)