Farmers’ demonstration in front of the European Parliament, February 26, 2024 in Brussels (AFP/Archives/JOHN THYS)
Fallows, hedges, crop rotation, small farms… Brussels proposed legislative revisions on Friday to drastically ease the environmental rules of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), hotly contested by the sector across the EU.
To the great dismay of environmental NGOs, the European Commission is proposing to relax, or even eliminate, part of the strict “green” criteria that the new CAP (2023-2027), which came into force last year, imposes on farmers respect to receive European payments.
Member states and MEPs should examine these proposals quickly with a view to possibly endorsing them by the end of April.
“The objective is to further reduce the administrative burden, to give farmers and States greater flexibility to comply with certain conditions, without reducing the overall level of environmental ambition,” said the President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
“It will be possible to apply certain standards in a way that is more compatible with the realities that farmers face on a daily basis on the ground,” she insisted, after an interview with Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Thus, farms must currently leave at least 4% of arable land fallow or non-productive areas (hedges, groves, ponds, etc.). A criterion that has become a scarecrow for farmers demonstrating in the EU.
After granting a temporary suspension for 2023 then 2024, Brussels is proposing to completely remove the obligation from legislation, leaving only the ban on trimming hedges during nesting periods (AFP/Archives/Nicolas TUCAT)
After granting a temporary suspension for 2023 and then 2024, Brussels is proposing to completely remove the obligation from the legislation, leaving only the ban on trimming hedges during nesting periods.
“It was really difficult for farmers to accept” these fallow obligations, but “they can always choose to do it on a voluntary basis” in exchange for bonuses (“eco-regimes”), explained to AFP the Commissioner of Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski.
“In practice, farmers would be encouraged to maintain non-productive areas, but without fear of loss of income if they cannot do so,” said von der Leyen.
– Retroactivity –
Among the “conditionalities” criticized by agricultural organizations which consider them impractical in the face of climatic hazards: the obligation of crop rotation, with a crop different from the previous year on 35% of arable land. It could be replaced by simple “diversification”.
European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski presents new proposals for farmers during a briefing at the European Parliament office in Warsaw, on March 15, 2024 in Poland (AFP/Sergei GAPON)
For the ban on bare floors during sensitive periods, “the idea would be that these periods are not rigid, that the State can define them flexibly taking into account regional differences”, underlined Mr. Wojciechowski.
“Most of the changes would come into force in 2025, but apply retroactively to January 1, 2024. Farmers would not be penalized for not having respected these conditionalities” this year, he insisted.
Another major change: the Commission is proposing to exempt farms of less than 10 hectares from controls and penalties linked to environmental conditions – which represent 65% of CAP beneficiaries, but only cover 9.6% of the surface area.
“In Poland, they represent three quarters of farms,” notes Janusz Wojciechowski.
– “Scandalous” –
Finally, States would have until the end of 2025 to translate into their national plans the updating over time of European environmental and climate legislation.
Farmers’ demonstration in Brussels, February 26, 2024 (BELGA/AFP/Archives/BENOIT DOPPAGNE)
And in the event of extreme climatic episodes (drought, floods, etc.) preventing farmers from complying with the requirements of the CAP, States would be free to introduce temporary exemptions, reserved for the operators concerned so that they do not incur penalty.
“It is scandalous to want to carry out legislative weakening of the CAP as part of an accelerated procedure without an impact study, under the cover of administrative simplification”, compromising “the necessary adaptation to climate change”, reacted the MEP Green Martin Hausling.
Environmental NGOs denounce an “electoralist” dismantling of the green architecture of the CAP, with no guarantee of defusing the agricultural malaise. “Blindly abandoning environmental measures will not appease farmers who are suffering from unfair prices and the climate emergency, with long-term sustainability needs,” argues Anu Suono of WWF.
Concerns brushed aside by Brussels: “this development will in no way weaken the environmental aspect, we obtain more results with encouragements and bonuses than with constraints” and penalties, believes Mr. Wojciechowski, calling for “take the farmers seriously”.
The French Minister of Agriculture Marc Fesneau was “delighted with the progress achieved”, also saying he was “very vigilant so that the first responses provided by the European Commission are implemented quickly”.
At the same time, the Commission presented on Friday ways to better “protect farmers from unfair practices” in the agri-food industry, before discussions with sector players and with States to develop “short and medium term” actions.
© 2024 AFP
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