The measures proposed in the EU’s Green Deal for climate neutrality will see new requirements placed on farmers and this will require an increased CAP budget, IFA president Joe Healy has said.
This week it was revealed that fertiliser and spray use will be slashed on farms as part of the EU’s plan to halve emissions by 2030.
Healy said that the aspirations of the Green Deal must recognise that agriculture is a commercial activity which delivers jobs, food, fuel, energy and environmental services for all European citizens.
CAP budget
In addition, a shrinking Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) budget can no longer be used to address the growing number of asks placed on farmers, he said.
“Farmers continue to provide premium produce to Irish and European consumers, produced to the highest animal welfare and environmental standards. This demonstrates the real success of CAP. However, with average family farm incomes in Ireland at just over €23,000 the reality is it’s hard for farmers to go greener when many of them are already in the red.”
Sustainability
Healy called on the EU to defend, on the basis of science, the sustainability of its agricultural model and food production systems in the face of fast-rising misinformation and bashing by those with anti-farming agendas.
Farmers are uniquely positioned as food, fuel and energy producers as well as custodians of the environment and are already focused on many of the Green Deal objectives, he said. The IFA has said that the European Commission must ensure that the following actions are delivered:
The Common Agricultural Policy budget must be increased to take account of inflation and to fully compensate farmers for any additional requirements placed upon them as a result of CAP reform or measures proposed in the Green Deal.The double standards in EU trade talks are ended. The European Commission are proposing to import thousands of tonnes of beef from deforested Amazonian regions of Brazil and other areas. Farmers must receive the full credit for carbon that is sequestered and stored in their grassland, hedgerows and forestry.Animal Health Europe, which represents 13 of Europe’s leading manufacturers of animal medicines and 19 national associations, said it is ready to rise to the challenge of the Green Deal.
“The animal health industry takes note of the ambitious goals and is ready to rise to the challenge.
“For many years now, our sector has not only been talking about addressing the issues affecting our food system.
“We’ve been actively developing new solutions to support a more sustainable livestock farming, assessing the environmental impact of our products, promoting better welfare for the many animals in Europe, and promoting a full use of our toolbox to ensure the responsible use of all medicines in animals,” Roxane Feller, Animal Health Europe secretary general said.
We’ve been actively developing new solutions to support a more sustainable livestock farming
“Our actions have taken effect, but we do not rest on our laurels. We stand ready to play our part and contribute in a balanced way to a greener, more sustainable European society with strong forward-looking policies based on scientific fact,” she said.
It said it now looks forward to the release of the Commission’s Farm to Fork strategy, expected in spring 2020.
Read more
EU to slash fertilisers and sprays on farms
Beef Plan defends letter to supermarkets
The measures proposed in the EU’s Green Deal for climate neutrality will see new requirements placed on farmers and this will require an increased CAP budget, IFA president Joe Healy has said.
This week it was revealed that fertiliser and spray use will be slashed on farms as part of the EU’s plan to halve emissions by 2030.
Healy said that the aspirations of the Green Deal must recognise that agriculture is a commercial activity which delivers jobs, food, fuel, energy and environmental services for all European citizens.
CAP budget
In addition, a shrinking Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) budget can no longer be used to address the growing number of asks placed on farmers, he said.
“Farmers continue to provide premium produce to Irish and European consumers, produced to the highest animal welfare and environmental standards. This demonstrates the real success of CAP. However, with average family farm incomes in Ireland at just over €23,000 the reality is it’s hard for farmers to go greener when many of them are already in the red.”
Sustainability
Healy called on the EU to defend, on the basis of science, the sustainability of its agricultural model and food production systems in the face of fast-rising misinformation and bashing by those with anti-farming agendas.
Farmers are uniquely positioned as food, fuel and energy producers as well as custodians of the environment and are already focused on many of the Green Deal objectives, he said. The IFA has said that the European Commission must ensure that the following actions are delivered:
The Common Agricultural Policy budget must be increased to take account of inflation and to fully compensate farmers for any additional requirements placed upon them as a result of CAP reform or measures proposed in the Green Deal.The double standards in EU trade talks are ended. The European Commission are proposing to import thousands of tonnes of beef from deforested Amazonian regions of Brazil and other areas. Farmers must receive the full credit for carbon that is sequestered and stored in their grassland, hedgerows and forestry.Animal Health Europe, which represents 13 of Europe’s leading manufacturers of animal medicines and 19 national associations, said it is ready to rise to the challenge of the Green Deal.
“The animal health industry takes note of the ambitious goals and is ready to rise to the challenge.
“For many years now, our sector has not only been talking about addressing the issues affecting our food system.
“We’ve been actively developing new solutions to support a more sustainable livestock farming, assessing the environmental impact of our products, promoting better welfare for the many animals in Europe, and promoting a full use of our toolbox to ensure the responsible use of all medicines in animals,” Roxane Feller, Animal Health Europe secretary general said.
We’ve been actively developing new solutions to support a more sustainable livestock farming
“Our actions have taken effect, but we do not rest on our laurels. We stand ready to play our part and contribute in a balanced way to a greener, more sustainable European society with strong forward-looking policies based on scientific fact,” she said.
It said it now looks forward to the release of the Commission’s Farm to Fork strategy, expected in spring 2020.
Read more
EU to slash fertilisers and sprays on farms
Beef Plan defends letter to supermarkets
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