News

The EP Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (COMAGRI) adopted its opinion on the EU methane strategy on 13/07/2021. COMAGRI supported the monitoring of emissions from livestock production and the introduction and promotion of technological innovations, rather than the reduction of livestock herds. The opinion was adopted by 36 votes to 8, with 2 abstentions. The EP's Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (COMENVI) has the main competence for drafting the European Parliament's opinion on the methane strategy, and COMENVI should now take the COMAGRI opinion into account. The vote on the own opinion in COMENVI is scheduled for 20-21/09/2021, the plenary of the European Parliament should decide on the opinion in October or November 2021. According to initial information, COMENVI will consider introducing binding targets for the reduction of methane from the agricultural sector, in particular livestock production, and will also consider supporting herd reduction in the EU.
More information is available here.

The European Commission adopted a new EU Forestry Strategy for 2030 on 16/07/2021. The strategy builds on the EU Biodiversity Strategy and contributes to the FitFor55 package presented by the Commission on 14/07/2021, which aims to reduce greenhouse gases by 55% by 2030. The strategy also aims to strengthen carbon sequestration. The new forestry strategy sets out a vision and concrete measures to increase the area and quality of forests in the EU and strengthen their protection, restoration, and resilience. The proposed measures will increase carbon sequestration, the strategy will also focus on strict protection of primary forests, restoration of degraded forests, and sustainable forest management. The strategy promotes forest management practices that are as climate- and biodiversity-friendly as possible, emphasizes the need to keep the use of wood biomass within sustainability and promotes the efficient use of wood resources. The strategy also envisages the development of payment systems for forest owners and managers for the provision of alternative ecosystem services, e.g., by keeping parts of their forests intact.
More information is available here.

The European NGO IFOAM Organics Europe, representing organic farmers in the EU, has published a new report entitled ‘Prospects & Developments for Organic in National Cap Strategic Plans’. According to the report, financial support for organic farming from the CAP budget would have to be 3-5 times higher overall than at present (i.e., a total of 9-15% of expenditure) to meet the target of expanding organic farming to 25% of agricultural land in the EU by 2030. The 25% target by 2030 is achievable according to IFOAM, but some Member States would have to allocate up to 10 times more resources to organic farming in their strategic plans than now.

The European Commission published a draft budget for the EU's Promotion Policy for 2022 on 01/07/2021. The budget is €185.9 million (€3 million higher than in 2021), with €89 million earmarked for ‘simple programs’ and 87.4 million for ‘multi programmes’. It will significantly strengthen financial support for organic farming, in line with the objectives of the European Green Deal, the Farm to Fork Strategy and the Organic Farming Action Plan. The proposal will be discussed by the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development on 27/09/2021, and the vote will be adopted on 15/10/2021. The European Commission is expected to adopt the proposal in November 2021.

On 06/07/2021, the Commission launched feedback on revision of the EU animal welfare legislation. The initiative aims to consider the results of recent studies and to extend the scope of animal welfare rules. The consultation is open until 03/08/2021, available here.