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Last week, the European Commission published the results of a new study on the importance of CAP support for agriculture in areas with natural or other specific constraints. Without CAP payments, the study concludes, a large proportion of areas with natural constraints would be at risk of being abandoned, while aid also helps sustain farming and livelihoods in the countryside in general. The report also shows that farms located in areas with natural constraints are on average less intensive and use more land for ecosystem services or biodiversity, including for example grazing, fallow land or protein crop production. According to the European Commission, payments granted for areas with natural constraints help maintain extensive and low-input farming systems, and support is given to farms that are smaller in economic size, less efficient and have lower incomes. According to the study, without CAP support, a significant proportion of these farms would have to close.
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On 19/07/2023, the European Parliament's Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development (COMAGRI) voted its opinion on the European Commission's proposal for a regulation on packaging and packaging waste. The main mandate is with the Committee on the Environment (COMENVI), which will vote in autumn 2023. In their opinion, which is still being analysed in view of the high number of amendments, MEPs rejected, among other things, the European Commission's proposal to ban the use of packaging for fruit and vegetables weighing less than 1.5 kilograms (small fruit, pepper mixes, etc.). COMAGRI members also supported the abolition of the rules requiring compostability of labels used on fruit and vegetables, replacing this requirement with a more general one on the compostability of plastics.
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The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published an opinion on 06/07/2023 assessing glyphosate as safe for use in agriculture - the accompanying evidence to EFSA's statement should be published by the end of July. Following EFSA's decision, a European Commission working document has been leaked which proposes an extension of the licence for glyphosate use in the EU and prepares for possible discussions with Member States on 15/09/2023. Last week, European Commission representative Klaus Berend confirmed the planned discussions for September 2023 and a vote on the approval of the substance for October 2023. The current licence for glyphosate uses in the EU expires on 15/12/2023.
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There is no need to increase the budget for the future Common Agricultural Policy after 2027, according to European Commission Executive Vice President Frans Timmermans, even in the face of growing demands for greening and a shift towards sustainability. According to Timmermans, the money currently spent on the CAP (€387 billion) is not being spent in the right way. Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski, who plans to present a new Communication on the future CAP after 2027 this autumn, has repeatedly stated in recent months that the future CAP will only be feasible with a bigger budget. However, Timmermans said it will be more important to get the current CAP budget in the right direction to help farmers change their farming practices.
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On 11/07/2023, the Commission launched a feedback initiative on the supervision of control authorities/entities and third countries on imports of organic products. The initiative sets out the information to be submitted by third countries, control authorities and control bodies to ensure the supervision of imports of organic goods. The consultation is open until 08/08/2023, available here.