News

On 10/03/2020, the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) published a report on climate and environmental schemes as part of the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy. According to IFOAM, eco-schemes have the potential to become an effective tool for greening and sustaining European agriculture, but adequate funding must be allowed to achieve their potential. IFOAM therefore proposes to allocate at least 70% of the total CAP envelope to environmental and climate action. The setting of eco-schemes will be the responsibility of the Member States, and IFOAM proposes to focus on promoting organic farming, "conservation" agriculture, or the protection and maintenance of High-Nature Value (HNV) farmland areas.
More information is available here.

The European Commission should publish the Farm to Fork Strategy at the end of March (25/03/2020 - 31/03/2020), but there is a risk of delays due to the spread of COVID-19 in Europe. The Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development, which is currently unable to meet, has also requested the postponement of the deadline for the submission of the Strategy. Recent information suggests that the Commission will seek to amend animal welfare legislation; it could also decide to review coupled support rules, which are very often criticized, particularly in the context of the promotion of meat and dairy products, for distorting the EU single market and heavy environmental and climate burdens. The European Commission could also support strengthening support to produce plant-based alternatives and reducing meat consumption. The opinion on the Farm to Fork strategy is also being prepared by the European Economic and Social Committee and should be finalized in April or May 2020.
The public consultation on Farm to Fork will be closed at midnight on 16/03/2020, consultation is available here. The European Commission also collects stakeholders' views on the possible introduction of the NutriScore labeling system in this consultation.

Greenpeace last week supported a reduction in meat consumption in the EU of 71% by the end of 2030 and 81% by the end of 2050. According to Greenpeace, EU citizens currently consume an average of 1.58 kilos of meat per week, and by 2030 weekly consumption should reach 460 grams, it should drop by more than a kilo a week, and by 2050 it should drop to 300 grams of meat a week. Achieving this would, according to Greenpeace, reduce the negative impact of animal production on the environment and climate.
More information is available here.

On 11/03/2020, the European Commission presented the Circular Economy Action Plan, which is one of the key components of the European Green Deal. The European Commission states that, through measures covering the whole life cycle of products, the new plan aims to prepare the European economy for a green future, improve its competitiveness while protecting the environment and granting new rights to consumers. The Action Plan should allow for a progressive and irreversible move towards a sustainable economic system and help achieve the 2050 climate neutrality objective. One of the upcoming steps should be the revision of the Ecodesign Directive, which should ensure that products placed on the market have enhanced durability, reusability and reparability.

Regarding packaging materials, the Commission notes that packaging waste in 2017 reached a record 173 kilograms per person, and this trend must be reversed. The Commission therefore plans to revise the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive (94/62 / EC) to ensure that all packaging materials are recyclable or reusable by 2030. The Commission will also assess the possibility of introducing a pan-European labelling system to facilitate the sorting of packaging materials and will lay down rules for the safe recycling of food contact plastic materials (other than PET). Specific measures should be presented in 2021.

With regard to plastics, the Commission states that, in order to enhance the use of recycled plastics and to promote the sustainable use of plastics, the Commission will propose both mandatory requirements for the proportion of recycled plastics content and mandatory measures to reduce packaging waste. The Commission will also aim to reduce the occurrence of micro-plastics, by prohibiting the deliberate addition of micro-plastics to products, introducing labelling and certification of micro-plastics, and harmonizing methods for measuring the content of unintended micro-plastics. The Commission will also present a policy working framework for the labelling and use of bioplastics and the use of biodegradable and compostable plastics. Specific measures should be presented in 2021.

On food, the Commission will propose a binding target for reducing food waste and will consider introducing measures to enhance the sustainability of food distribution and consumption. The Commission will also, within the framework of the Action Plan, consider introducing a 'recycled in the EU' label to prevent waste exports to third countries.

The Action Plan should be financed from the resources of the Cohesion Policy and the Just Transition Mechanism. The European Commission also aims to promote a shift towards a circular economy worldwide, so the Commission plans to develop a European plastics strategy, which should serve as a basis for a global agreement to reduce plastics. Furthermore, the Commission will propose the establishment of a World Alliance for Circular Economy and will ensure that international trade agreements reflect the Commission's requirements for the circular economy.
More information is available here and here.

The United Kingdom announced on 11/03/2020 a plan to introduce a national plastic tax, which will enter into force in April 2022. The tax will apply to all processors and importers whose products contain less than 30% recyclable materials; the tax will be £ 200 per tonne. However, the United Kingdom is interested in protecting small businesses from the negative effects of the introduction of the tax, so the tax will apply to waste of 10 tonnes or more.
More information is available here and here.