MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the FAO Summit and Food Security
23.11.2009
pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure
James Nicholson on behalf of the ECR Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0168/2009
B7‑0168/2009
European Parliament resolution on the FAO Summit and Food Security
The European Parliament,
– having regard to Article 33 of the EC Treaty,
– having regard to its resolution of 25 October 2007 on rising feed and food prices[1], and its resolution of 22 May 2008 on rising food prices in the European Union and developing countries[2],
– having regard to its resolution of 29 November 2007 on advancing African agriculture – a proposal for agricultural development and food security in Africa[3],
– having regard to the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a facility for rapid response to soaring food prices in developing countries (COM(2008)0450),
– having regard to the communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions entitled 'Tackling the challenge of rising food prices - directions for EU action' (COM(2008)0321),
– having regard to the Common Agricultural Policy and Global Food Security Report (McGuinness Report) (2008/2153(INI)),
– having regard to the conclusions of the 1996 World Food Summit,
– having regard to the 'Agricultural Outlook 2008-2017' released by the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD),
– having regard to the recommendations of the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD),
– having regard to the outcome of the 'Health Check' reform of the Common Agricultural Policy,
– having regard to the ongoing WTO negotiations on the Doha Development Round,
– having regard to the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness,
– having regard to the declaration of the World Summit on Food Security held in Rome from 16 to18 November 2009,
– having regard to Rules 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the world population is expected to surpass 9 billion in 2050 and global food demand is expected to double in the same period; whereas the FAO expects that global agricultural production will need to increase by 70 % between now and then; whereas this will need to be achieved using less water and pesticides and with less agricultural land available due to the effects of climate change,
B. whereas the European Union is the leading global donor of development and humanitarian aid, but at international level the share of aid allocated to agriculture, particularly from the European Union, has constantly diminished since the 1980s,
C. whereas the present crisis impacts most heavily on low-income households in both the European Union and the developing world, where the proportion of household income spent on food represents between 60 and 80 % of total income, in comparison to the EU average of less than 20 %,
D. whereas the European Union remains a major food producer, accounting for 17 % of the world’s wheat, 25 % of the world’s milk production, 13 % of the world's poultry production, 20 % of the world’s pigmeat production and 30 % of the world’s beef production; whereas it is also a major importer of agricultural products, falling significantly short of self-sufficiency in numerous agricultural commodities,
E. whereas the high cost of animal feed increases the cost of production, which entails the risk that production of stock farming products will fall when demand for them is rising and is forecast to continue doing so, particularly in the emerging economies,
F. whereas dramatic fluctuations in commodity prices may become a more pronounced and regular feature of the global market; whereas higher food prices do not automatically translate into higher farm incomes, mainly due to the speed at which farm input costs increase and the increasing divergence developing between producer and consumer prices,
G. whereas world food stocks have fallen to critically low levels, from one year’s supply of food in stock after World War II to just 57 days in stock in 2007 and only 40 days in 2008,
H. whereas these and other factors have had immediate and serious consequences for a significant number of people; whereas, globally, the food price crisis has pushed millions more into poverty and hunger; whereas these developments have sparked riots and unrest around the world, further destabilising countries and regions around the globe;
I. whereas, according to current estimates from organisations fighting world hunger in developing countries, one person in five is currently undernourished and suffering from chronic hunger and each day over 30 000 children in the world die of hunger and poverty,
J. whereas health is a prerequisite for development and economic prosperity, as poor health places huge social and economic burdens on families and society, and whereas access to safe drinking water, sanitation and food security are vital for the promotion of health throughout the world,
K. whereas agriculture provides employment and a livelihood for more than 70 % of the labour force in developing countries and for more than 80 % in many African countries and, as a consequence, rural development policies are essential in order to tackle poverty and hunger effectively,
L. whereas the European Union traditionally finances around 10 % of worldwide development cooperation, in addition to Member States' contributions, a figure confirmed by the current contribution through EC instruments (of around EUR 1.8 billion: EUR 1 billion through the new facility for rapid response to soaring food prices in developing countries and the rest through currently available development and humanitarian aid instruments),
M. whereas, according to the FAO, an investment of EUR 30 billion per year would be enough to ensure the food security of a world population which will reach 9 billion by 2050,
N. whereas present international and regional agreements have proved incapable of normalising market supply and trade, mainly because significant barriers to international trade still exist in the agricultural sector, as highlighted by the protectionist measures taken by many countries in response to the recent rise in food prices; whereas this recent surge in food prices should be a wake-up call for governments throughout the world that agricultural production is not to be taken for granted and that unreasonable barriers to trade significantly contribute to an inefficiency of global supply in agricultural products,
1. Notes that food security and self-sufficiency are not the same thing and that, whilst efforts to increase production around the world must be encouraged, the efficient supply of agricultural goods to consumers throughout the world must remain a top priority;
2. Notes that agriculture, together with trade, migration and fisheries, are examples of EU policy areas with direct effects on developing countries and therefore we must constantly strive to make sure that they are as development-friendly as possible so as to ensure their coherence with development cooperation;
3. Stresses that hundreds of millions of poor people live in areas susceptible to natural disasters and that the impact of these disasters on agricultural production must also be taken into account; notes that global warming can accelerate the frequency and magnitude of such disasters, potentially leading to increased health, food production and water stresses, as well as large-scale migration and security threats; emphasises that disaster risk management should be an integral part of development planning, rather than merely a humanitarian issue;
4. Stresses that ensuring food security, good health, drinking water and sanitation are all high priorities in formulating development policies, as all these factors are prerequisites for development and economic prosperity;
5. Notes that the effects of long-standing underinvestment in agriculture and rural development have recently been further exacerbated by food, financial and economic crises, among other factors; stresses that, while strides have been made, the overall efforts made so far have fallen short of achieving the Millennium Development Goals and the commitments of the World Food Summits; notes that steps have to be taken collectively to reverse this trend;
6. Notes that global food security is a question of the utmost urgency for the European Union and calls for immediate and consistent action to ensure food security for EU citizens and at global level; considers it important to recognise the value of all the world’s farming and food cultures; stresses that food should be available at reasonable prices for consumers;
7. Calls for all parties to work together to ensure that the WTO Doha Round can be successfully completed, and considers an agreement at multi-national level to be vitally important for the successful development of agricultural sectors in the developing world;
8. Stresses the role of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) as a means of securing food production in the European Union; believes that the CAP has provided EU citizens with a secure food supply in addition to protection and enhancement of the rural environment and EU food production standards that are the highest in the world;
9. Stresses that since 2007, agricultural commodity prices have fluctuated dramatically and that from mid-2007 to mid-2008, prices rose sharply, followed by a sharp increase in consumer prices; notes that this steep increase in basic commodity prices was followed swiftly by a sharp fall in commodity prices;
10. Notes with concern the escalating costs of farm inputs (price increases in fertilisers, seeds and fuel), which have translated into a rise in costs for which farmers (particularly in the livestock sector) have not all been equally compensated and which have significantly eroded any potential increase in farm incomes arising from the higher commodity and food prices, thus eroding the stimulus to increase production; is concerned that dramatic increases in input prices could result in less usage and potentially reduced output, which will exacerbate the food crisis in Europe and the world;
11. Reaffirms that EU farms produce 17 % of the world's wheat, 25 % of the world's milk and 30 % of the world's beef; stresses that maintaining viable farms in the EU will be of paramount importance for the world food supply in the years to come, particularly considering the likely effects of climate change, which will make the EU one of the world's most important agricultural regions;
12. Draws attention to the longer-term structural causes at play in the recent price increase of agricultural commodities, including steadily increasing global demand and sustained reductions in investment in production agriculture; notes that, among these factors, the increase in the price of energy, and in particular in the oil price, has had a major impact on global agricultural production (due to increasing farm-production and food-distribution costs) and on the occurrence of food crises in the poor countries (due to food transport costs within these countries);
13. Takes into account that, to feed a world population expected to surpass 9 billion in 2050, agricultural output will have to increase by 70% between now and then while using less land, less water and less pesticide;
14. Stresses that the CAP should be further adapted to meet food security concerns in Europe and at world level, to ensure that farmers are better able to benefit from increased demand at global level;
15. Stresses the importance of international cooperation as well as the necessity of refraining from unilateral measures that are not in accordance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations and that endanger food security;
16. Acknowledges the FAO’s view that net food-importing countries are hardest hit by rising food prices and that many of these countries are the world's least developed; reaffirms the fact that poverty and dependence on food imports are leading causes of food insecurity;
17. Is alarmed by the current global financial crisis; calls on the European Commission to analyse the effects of the financial crisis on the agricultural sector and to consider proposals to ensure the stability of the sector, including the issue of access to loans and credit guarantees;
18. Believes that the CAP is an important element of EU food security policy now and beyond 2013; considers that functioning ecosystems, fertile soils, stable water resources and a diverse rural economy are essential in the interests of long-term food security;
19. Reaffirms that food security is a national responsibility and that any plans for addressing food security challenges must be nationally articulated, designed, owned and led, and built on consultation with all key stakeholders; stresses that food security has high priority and should be reflected in national programmes and budgets;
20. Supports food and agriculture research, including research into means of adapting to and mitigating climate change, and access to research results and technologies at national, regional and international levels; encourages national research systems, in particular in Africa, to share information and best practices; calls for access to knowledge; calls for the quality of national agricultural statistics and early-warning and forecasting systems drawing attention to potential food insecurity and vulnerability to be improved, thus providing a sound basis for agricultural policy and strategies;
21. Reaffirms its commitment to investment in technology and innovation in agriculture and farm production;
22. Stresses the importance of publicly funded research which helps to promote food security; calls for investment in research not only into individual new technologies but also into comprehensive farming systems which will serve the aim of long-term food security; stresses in this connection the pioneering role which could be played in this field, for example, by a EU technology platform for ecological agricultural research;
23. Considers that one serious obstacle to increased agricultural output in developing countries is the lack of access for small farmers to loans and micro-credits for investment in improved seeds, fertilisers and irrigation mechanisms; stresses, further, the issue of loan guarantees, which in most cases are not available; calls on the European Investment Bank to look into means of providing programmes for local food producers in developing countries with loan guarantees to support access to credit and micro-credit;
24. Recognises the continuing decrease in the number of young farmers; calls for more support to encourage young people into agriculture and urges that financial aid be made available to them;
25. Believes that there is a need for further agricultural research in order to increase sustainable farm productivity, and calls on the Member States to exploit fully the opportunities offered in this respect by the Seventh Framework Programme for research and technological development;
26. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.
- [1] OJ C 263E, 16.10.2008, p. 621.
- [2] Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2008)0229.
- [3] Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2007)0577.