Copa-Cogeca Welcomes Aspects of EU Report
21 February 2012
EU - Copa-Cogeca has welcomed statements in a new EU Commission report highlighting that major efforts to protect the soil have been included in the upcoming reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
“Soil is a valuable resource for farmers and forest owners and a key production factor so its protection and sustainable use is crucial. Farmers are making huge efforts to prevent soil degradation resulting from erosion, compaction and decline in organic matter”, Copa-Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen stressed. The new EU Commission reports concern the policy and scientific aspects of European soil.
He pointed out that a link was already established in the 2003 CAP reform which makes direct payments to farmers dependent upon complying with good soil standards and keeping land in good agricultural and environmental condition, known as cross-compliance.
“These requirements are further strengthened under the Commissions’ proposals on the future CAP post-2013 and I am pleased to see that this new report acknowledges that”, Mr Pesonen added.
Given that soil is a valuable asset for farmers and they manage half EU land, Copa-Cogeca also supports many principles and aspects of the EU Thematic Strategy for Soil Protection. But Copa-Cogeca argues that a new EU soil directive would result in far more costs and administrative requirements than benefits.
In fact, the EU already has in place both a framework of EU environmental legislation (water, air, nature and biodiversity inter alia) and the CAP which contains soil protection measures.
But Mr Pesonen warned against some aspects of the report, notably that: “The Commission will also propose accounting for land use, land use change and forestry emissions (LULUCF) as part of the EU's climate change commitment for 2020.”
Copa-Cogeca recommends further analysis of the consequences of including LULUCF in the EU commitments and also highlights the need for both the accounting methods and the MRV rules to be clarified before deciding whether to include LULUCF in the EU commitments.
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