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In this section, the Dutch in Brussels have their say. This week the contribution of Iris Bouwers, LTO Netherlands lobbyist to the European institutions in Brussels.
Since the publication of the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategy by European Commissioner Frans Timmermans, we want to know: what does this mean for agriculture? The Joint Research Center (JRC) report on strategies and the common agricultural policy (CAP) published last week partially confirms this.
On May 20, the publication of the Green Deal agricultural proposals goes back a year. A good reason for Copa-Cogeca to issue a press release. Along with other agribusiness representatives, the umbrella organization wrote that it needed three principles: policies based on scientific evidence rather than political ideology, concrete tools and technology to support farmers and equal standards for producers inside and outside the European Union.
Good to know: the JRC operates as an independent science and technology center. The center employs scientists to provide independent scientific advice and support. One can therefore disagree with the results of the study, but it corresponds to the first demand of us as agricultural representatives: the center does not base its conclusions on political ideology, but on scientific evidence.
Among other things, the CCR concludes that the CAP alone is not enough to achieve the high goals of the Green Deal strategies
The JRC concludes, among other things, that the CAP alone is not sufficient to achieve the high objectives of the Green Deal strategies. More is needed. The authors also conclude that there is a need for productivity gains in organic farming and nutrient management. Opportunities such as precision agriculture and new digital and innovative technologies are mentioned as possible solutions. The Green Deal must therefore offer opportunities for this.
Finally, the JRC reiterates that it is essential to avoid the leakage of greenhouse gas emissions. To put it simply: what we are reducing here should not be kicked out somewhere. A carbon tax at the EU’s external border could be a solution: the (more) equal standards advocated by Copa-Cogeca, among others.
Several ticks can therefore be ticked, but at the bottom: the income effects of the new policy can be significant and the CAP will not compensate them sufficiently. The rest of the world must be able and willing to participate, and consumer behavior plays a crucial role. Then I think a question remains: who is going to pay for this?
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