Law written in secret, by a powerful agricultural lobby – this is the message of the latest article by Politico, after Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski presented a preliminary report on his activities and draft directives that would provide minimum protection for agricultural activities. The Commissioner also presents a draft position on the future of the EU Common Agricultural Policy for 2028-2034 for consideration at the EU Council level. Pointing to the need to increase the budget, distribute funds and generally change the approach to the agri-environmental goals, pushing them more as a voluntary and profitable incentive rather than an order.
The proposals for farmers have heated up Brussels political salons and it seems that not everyone is happy about the desire to look more deeply into the future of European farmers. And yet Ursula von der Leyen herself, when running for the presidency of the Commission, declared in her speech that she would listen to the voice of farmers and include them in an expert dialogue from which she would draw. Why shouldn't she take into account the experience of her commissioner?
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Commissioner Wojciechowski sums up his term. He also addresses farmers
A difficult and uncertain time for agriculture
There is probably no doubt that the last five years have been a rather difficult time for EU citizens, including farmers. First, Covid-19 and the pandemic spreading around the world, which caused huge disruptions in the functioning of the entire food sector, mainly by interrupting supply chains. Then, deliberate actions by Russia, which caused a sharp increase in the costs of energy and fertilizers. All this later turned out to be the background for Russia's attack on Ukraine and the pursuit of further destabilization, including agricultural markets, the effects of which are still being felt today. Climate disasters have also intensified.
Farmers in many EU countries have been affected by dramatic floods, droughts, forest fires, sudden frosts, these events have caused multi-billion damage. In addition, European and Polish breeders have struggled and continue to struggle with the effects of animal disease epidemics, such as bird flu or African swine fever. In a word: it is becoming increasingly difficult to conduct agricultural activity, especially when environmental and climate goals, implemented without assessing their effects and the risks involved, may in practice conflict with agricultural activity.
Mission letter for the next commissioner
– I took over my mandate when the assumptions of the new CAP were developed and were already on the table. Now the situation is completely different. The new Commissioner for Agriculture will work on the assumptions of the future CAP for the next seven years. I felt obliged to pass on the experience I had gained after such a turbulent term of office. Who, if not the Commissioner, should propose political initiatives? These are not any decisions of the committee, these are my projects, which, if they gain recognition, will naturally have to go through the entire legislative path anyway – he explains to us in an interview.
Draft directives
The package of new proposals includes draft directives. The first, on assessing the impact of plans and programmes on agriculture, is a response to the everyday reality that affects farmers when plans and programmes are implemented in rural areas, which not only have an impact on the environment but also on agricultural activity.
As we read in the draft: Therefore, plans or programmes implemented in rural areas and subject to mandatory environmental impact assessment should also be subject to mandatory agricultural impact assessment.
At the same time, the Commissioner emphasizes. – We must be aware that certain projects implemented in rural areas: road construction or others, are assessed in terms of their impact on the environment. However, does anyone assess how this will affect the activities of one or another farmer? For example, in access to their plots? I want to guarantee that all actions should take into account the impact on maintaining and not disrupting previously conducted agricultural activities.
Protection of agricultural activities
Another draft directive concerns the protection of agricultural activity. The reason for this initiative is the shrinking number of farms, difficulties in generational change, which currently affect the entire EU. In the long term, this threatens the maintenance of the security of constant food supplies. As we read in the draft: "Agriculture is affected by plans, programs or specific legislative initiatives introduced not only within the framework of agricultural policy, but also other policies, especially environmental and climate policy, and that the regulations proposed within these policies may sometimes cause or increase threats to agricultural production and consequently to food security."
It was also noted that there are already initiatives aimed at prohibiting or limiting certain agricultural activities due to their impact on the environment or neighbourly relations (…) meanwhile rural areas are and must remain a natural place for conducting agricultural activities, especially those of a sustainable nature.
Enforced environmental goals may affect agriculture
The Directive also indicates the need to regulate the issue of leases and access to EU funds by persons actually engaged in land cultivation, promotes the strengthening of direct sales, encourages the association of farmers and the creation of cooperatives, the protection of agricultural land, and moderates sanctions against farmers so that any penalties are adequate to the infringements committed.
The Commissioner emphasises that this is a set of proposals that member states could implement at their own level. – I have learned my lesson after a very difficult term of office. We must be aware that the world does not consist only of friends of farmers. I leave these proposals and guidelines to the next Commissioner. They guarantee minimum protection for agricultural activity. They can be widely used by agricultural organisations. We must also remember, as we could also see in the case of SUR, that the environmental objectives being pushed through can affect agriculture. The effects of these acts should always be assessed in terms of the effects and risks they pose to agricultural activity. I also leave my vision of the future CAP, which should be created with a reinforced budget, adequate to the challenges and tasks facing farmers, while the size of this budget should be set at a level of at least 0.5% of EU GDP. Taught by experience, we should also ensure that assistance is provided in the event of sudden crises. However, above all, all environmental requirements and restrictions should entail appropriate financial incentives.
As we read in the recommendations: "No less than 10% of the CAP budget should be set aside as a separate third pillar of the CAP and reserved for crisis aid instruments for farmers in the event of climatic disasters, threats to human and animal health, as well as economic and political crises. (…) Imposing any new obligations or tasks on farmers within the scope of the CAP or other policies should be made on the basis of financial incentives, not legal coercion. In particular, increasing farmers' efforts for the environment and climate should be financially compensated."
A counterweight to subsequent demands?
It is worth noting that the multi-month strategic dialogue convened by Commissioner Ursula von der Leyen is coming to an end, with the participation of, among others, non-governmental organizations related to environmental protection, climate, agriculture, and food producers. The conclusions of this dialogue will be an important guide for shaping the future policy of the EU. What will be the approach to the subject of agriculture, will farmers be inundated with new goals, burdens related to the environment and climate? It remains to be seen, perhaps the Commissioner's proposals will remain the only counterweight to further ambitious goals.
