NOTe share one observation: farmers are subject to distortions of competition vis-à-vis imports from our trading partners which limit the transition of European agriculture towards more sustainability; the agricultural products that we consume in Europe do not always respect the same rules depending on whether they are produced in the European market or imported.
Certain production methods (use of animal meal, use of antibiotics as growth promoters) which are strictly prohibited in European breeding must therefore be the subject of strict measures of reciprocity and controls of imported products, such as beef, which comes to us from Brazil or Canada, for example. Likewise, imported tomatoes, lentils, oranges or leeks should under no circumstances be treated with pesticides banned in the European Union (EU) because of their danger to health or the environment.
Two weights, two measures
Without the implementation of such mirror measures, from a farmers’ point of view, the situation is absurd. Even though they too often struggle to generate a decent income, due to a lack of sufficiently remunerative prices, they cannot at the same time find themselves exposed to unfair competition with imported products that are less expensive in terms of health, the environment and the environment. animal welfare matters. Even though we must favor a family breeding and grassland model – out of proportion with certain American factory farms of several thousand industrially fattened cattle – Europe must provide farmers with this essential protection. From the point of view of the European consumer, the absence of effective reciprocity measures appears ubiquitous fueling feelings of incomprehension; the risk is also that its choice will fall towards products far from our standards.
“We can no longer close our eyes to the impacts on health, climate and biodiversity generated by our food beyond our borders”
This double standard system directly threatens the achievement of the environmental and climate objectives defined in the Green Deal [le Pacte vert, soit l’objectif de neutralité climatique de l’UE d’ici à 2050], and the European strategy “From closed with a fork ”. Let us be clear: maintaining such a system means limiting the transition to more sustainable European agriculture. How to convince European farmers to reduce the use of pesticides or antibiotics by 2030, if the bans do not also fully apply to products of foreign origin imported into Europe? How can consumers even be convinced to favor European products from more sustainable agriculture over products imported at a lower price but at a higher environmental cost?
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