News

The European Commission launched a public consultation on the action plan for the development of EU organic production on 04/09/2020, responses to the public consultation can only be sent until the end of this week, i.e. until 27/11/2020. The European Commission states that, under the European Green Deal, the Union has set an ambitious target for 2030 of at least 25% of agricultural land in the EU to be managed organically and that there must be a significant increase in the share of organic fish farming. According to the Commission, the organic farming action plan will help consumers, farmers, businesses, Member State governments and local authorities to achieve this goal. The action plan should encourage investment and innovation in sustainable agriculture, respond to increased consumer interest in organic food, and lead to increased demand for organic food. So far, 124 stakeholder opinions have been sent for public consultation, and the organization representing organic farmers in the EU, IFOAM, has also sent an opinion for consultation. According to IFOAM, at least 25% of the CAP budget should be allocated to support organic farming in the EU in order to meet the goal of the European Commission's new strategies, which is to manage at least 25% of EU agricultural land under the organic regime. According to IFOAM, Member States should submit national action plans for the expansion of organic farming. IFOAM also states that external costs should be internalized, such as a re-pricing of plant protection products, which, according to IFOAM, is the main reason for the resulting low prices of conventional agricultural production in the EU. Targets for Green Public Procurement should also be set so that production and demand for organic products grow in parallel.
The public consultation is available here.

On 16/11/2020, the European Commission approved an investment package of €280 million for the LIFE programme projects, which focuses on environmental and climate protection. A total of 120 new projects will contribute to the objectives of the European Green Deal by supporting the circular economy action plan and the EU biodiversity strategy. €220 million is allocated to projects on the environment and biodiversity and €60 million to climate change mitigation and adaptation.
More information is available here.

According to the draft opinion of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council, the European Commission should develop a harmonized and transparent labelling system for products that meet animal welfare requirements. The draft opinion was supposed to be discussed during the last Council meeting but will probably be discussed only during the December part-session. In its draft opinion, the Council calls on the Commission to develop Europe-wide legal criteria that go beyond current EU legal requirements. These new criteria should be a basic precondition for products to be labelled with the new animal welfare compliance labelling system. The new criteria should also consider the provisions on animal welfare in EU legislation on organic farming. The European Commission should create a standardized logo for animal welfare labelling, and the new labelling system should cover products from the entire livestock sector.

Germany has officially started using the NutriScore nutrition labelling system for food on the front of pack. Agriculture Minister Julia Klöckner expects the country's food producers to start using the label later this month. Labelling with the NutriScore system is not mandatory in Germany. The adoption of NutriScore continues to be refused by IT, CY, CZ, GR, HU, RO, LV and SK. These countries are concerned about the negative impact of NutriScore on traditional foods. In contrast, the NutriScore system has been introduced in FR, NL, CH, ES and BE. NutriScore is also used by several multinational producers, including Nestlé, Kellogg´s and Danone.
More information is available here.

On 14/11/2020, the European Commission published a study on the future of livestock production in the European Union. The study was carried out by two independent experts at the request of the Commission. According to the study, the livestock sector has significant environmental, economic, and social impacts. Sustainability must therefore be increased in all three areas. The impact of the livestock sector on the environment is significant, both from a negative point of view (greenhouse gas emissions) and from a positive point of view (maintenance of permanent grassland, carbon sequestration). The study concludes that although the European Union has done much to enhance the sector's positive environmental impact, efforts need to be further strengthened.
More information is available here.