Answer given by Mr Wojciechowski on behalf of the European Commission
21.6.2022
The invasion of Ukraine and a global commodity price surge are driving up prices in agricultural and seafood product markets and exposing the vulnerabilities of our food system: dependence on imports of e.g. energy, fertiliser and animal feed.
This increases costs for producers and affects the price of food, raising concerns for the consumers’ purchasing power and the producers’ income.
In its Food Security Communication[1] the Commission announced short-term measures to support food security and agricultural sector, including among others temporary derogations to use fallow land for producing food and feed.
Ensuring long-term food system resilience and food security depends on environmental, social and economic sustainability of the agricultural sector, as set out in the Green Deal, Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies[2], and in the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)[3].
The CAP Strategic Plans will play a key role in supporting this transition to sustainable food systems and strengthening the EU agricultural sector’s resilience[4]. The Commission asked Member States to review them accordingly[5].
The Commission also expects Member States to define and implement the new conditionality mechanism in a way that maximises the climate and environmental objectives, while minimising its potential short-term impact on production capacity.
For example, the minimum share of arable land to allocate to biodiversity should rather focus on the maintenance and establishment of non-productive features such as landscape features (e.g. hedges and trees) than laying land fallow (which would constrain EU production potential)[6].
The Commission would also refer the Honourable Members to its answer to Written Question E-001090/2022 on the same issue.
- [1] Communication from the Commission ‘Safeguarding food security and reinforcing the resilience of food systems’, COM(2022)133 final, 22.03.2022.
- [2] COM(2019)640 final, COM(2020)381 final, and COM(2020)380 final, respectively.
- [3] Regulation (EU) 2021/2115 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 2 December 2021 establishing rules on support for strategic plans to be drawn up by Member States under the common agricultural policy (CAP Strategic Plans) and financed by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF) and by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and repealing Regulations (EU) No 1305/2013 and (EU) No 1307/2013, OJ L 435, 6.12.2021, p. 1‐186.
- [4] In line with the further analysis in COM(2022)133 final.
- [5] In its Observation Letters on draft CSPs : https://ec.europa.eu/info/food-farming-fisheries/key-policies/common-agricultural-policy/cap-strategic-plans/observation-letters_en
- [6] COM(2022)133 final, p. 10.