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EU agriculture ministers will discuss the Farm to Fork Strategy and the EU Biodiversity Strategy at an informal videoconference of ministers on 08/06/2020, also a new draft of the Multiannual Financial Framework will be discussed. The Commission presented both strategies on 20/05/2020. Janusz Wojciechowski, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, and Stella Kyriakides, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, will also take part in the ministerial discussion.
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On 02/06/2020, the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development discussed with the Commissioner for Budget and Administration Johannes Hahn the Commission's proposal to strengthen the CAP budget. Mr Hahn emphasized that increased funding for the CAP should achieve the European Green Deal's climate, environmental and food safety objectives. Hahn also said he would support the introduction of mandatory capping in the CAP negotiations.
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On 04/06/2020, the European Parliament's Committee on the Environment discussed with the Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski the CAP and the achievement of the objectives of the European Green Deal. The Commissioner expressed concern about the concentration of the agricultural sector - thousands of small farmers are disappearing due to the growth of large farms and the industrialization of the agricultural sector, and the Commissioner also criticized intensive agricultural production. According to the commissioner, agriculture has become only a "factory" for meat and agricultural production, which also carries risks associated with food safety. Sylwia Spurek (S&D, PL) and Anja Hazekamp (GUE / NGL, NL) supported the reduction of livestock production and its support under the CAP. The Commissioner emphasized that the Commission would promote sustainable meat production, organic farming, and the strengthening of animal welfare rules; The Commission will also strengthen support for small farmers.
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The European Court of Auditors (ECA) issued a report on 05/06/2020 on the relationship between the CAP and biodiversity. The ECA concluded in its report that, despite the measures introduced under the CAP, biodiversity continues to decline, with intensive agriculture continuing to be the main cause of the decline. According to the ECA, CAP funding has only a limited impact on biodiversity, intensive agriculture has led to a decline in the amount and diversity of natural vegetation and subsequently in animals; and the EU's biodiversity strategy to 2020 has not set measurable targets for agriculture. The ECA further states that direct payments to farmers accounted for more than 70% of all EU agricultural expenditure in 2019, but that the Commission's monitoring of expenditure that contributes to biodiversity is unreliable. The ECA therefore recommended that the Commission better coordinate the 2030 biodiversity strategy, increase the contribution of direct payments and rural development measures to biodiversity, monitor biodiversity-related expenditure more closely and develop reliable indicators for assessing the impact of the CAP. The ECA report was issued only two weeks after the publication of the EU Biodiversity Strategy.
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The Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA) discussed the Farm to Fork Strategy and the Biodiversity Strategy on 04/05/2020. SCA members generally welcomed the objectives of both strategies, but representatives of IE, SK, RO, FR, CZ, GR, IT, PL, and BG called for a strong CAP and an adequate budget to meet the objectives. According to them, the revised MFF proposal does not provide an adequate budget for the CAP, despite an increase compared to the 2018 proposal. However, representatives of DK, SE and NL stated that Member States should be able to meet the objectives of the strategies regardless of the budget. Representatives of SI and SK called on the Commission to provide allocations for individual Member States, representatives of SI and SE called for an impact assessment before implementing the objectives. Sweden emphasized that the Commission must also take into account the different starting positions of Member States when setting national targets (at EU level, the Commission supports, for example, reducing the use of chemical pesticides by 50%, fertilizers by 20% or expanding organic farming to 25% of agricultural land). According to representatives of the Commission, the implementation of the targets will not lead to a decrease in production. The Commission also added that funding for the second pillar provided under the recovery plan (€15 billion) will not be transferable to the first pillar.