Following last week’s recommendations of the strategic dialogue on the future of EU agriculture, the organic movement continues building bridges and identifying a way forward with high-level policymakers and the sector at its European Organic Congress. High on the congress’ agenda was a piece of EU policy that can make or break this transition: the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
The organic movement has published its vision on a CAP fit for the future. This states that a CAP fit for the future is in line with the Strategic Dialogue’s opinion conclusion that a transition to sustainable agri-food systems is necessary and there are solutions that work for farmers, nature and society. To achieve this, the CAP needs an ambitious reform to enable an agroecological transition of Europe’s agriculture, while:
Supporting all farmers who want to transform their farms sustainably using a whole-farm approach;
Adequately rewarding farmers engaged in sustainability systems, such as organic farmers, for the benefits they already deliver to the environment and society; and
Ensuring the sector’s competitiveness.
Jan Plagge, IFOAM Organics Europe’s President summarised it as follows: “The agrifood sector is facing multiple challenges, so the CAP must undergo an ambitious reform to stay relevant and deliver environmental and socio-economic sustainability. The CAP post-2027 should support both farmers who want to be and those who already are more environmentally ambitious.” He specified: “It is important to encourage those ready to re-designs their farms to be more sustainable and set high environmental ambitions. Moreover, the future CAP should also adequately reward farmers already working with nature and provide benefits for ecosystems functions – this needs to be based on a whole-farm approach. As our vision for the CAP post-2027 is in line with the Strategic Dialogue on the future of agriculture’s recommendations, we count on the Commission, Council and Parliament to implement this broad agreement among agriculture and environmental stakeholders that it is time for a fundamental CAP reform.”
Thomas Fertl, IFOAM Organics Europe Board Member and farming sector representative elaborated on the approach: “We propose a three-stage approach to ensure proportionality between a farm’s level of environmental ambition and the funding it receives, based on key areas: soil protection, impact on water, climate, and biodiversity. This would allow for high environmental ambitions, a coherent approach at farm level, while easing administration for farmers and national authorities. Our vision makes two objectives meet: Rewarding farmers who are already engaged in sustainable production methods and supporting other farmers in a gradual transition to agroecology.”
The CAP should also play an important role in market regulation to strengthen farmers’ role in the agrifood supply chain, increase their resilience to economic crises and ensure a decent income. Targeted measures should support farmers based on socio-economic criteria.
Further information available at www.organicseurope.bio
The article Shaping agrifood’s future: future CAP should empower farmers and ensure agroecological transition appeared first on Bio Eco Actual.
