25 Amendments of Guillaume BALAS related to 2018/0216(COD)
Amendment 64 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 4
Recital 4
(4) In order to ensure that the Union can respect its international obligations on domestic support as set out in the WTO Agreement on Agriculture, and in particular that the basic income support for sustainability and related types of interventions continue to be notified as ‘Green Box’ support which has no, or at most minimal, trade-distorting effects or effects on production, the framework definition for ‘agricultural activity’ should provide for both the production of agricultural products or the maintenance of the agricultural area. In light of adjusting to local conditions, Member States should lay down the actual definition of agricultural activity in their CAP Strategic Plans.
Amendment 74 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 9
Recital 9
(9) In view of further improving the performrelevance of the CAP, income support should be targeted to genuine farmersfarmers who are active in agricultural production. In order to ensure a common approach at Union level for such a targeting of support, a framework definition for ‘genuine farmerfarmer active in agricultural production’ displaying the essential elements should be set out. On the basis of this framework, Member States should define in their CAP Strategic Plans which farmers are not considered genuine farmersfarmers active in agricultural production based on conditions such as income tests, labour inputs on the farm, company object and inclusion in registers. It should also not result in precluding support to pluri-active farmers, who are actively farming but who are also engaged in non-agricultural activities outside their farm, as their multiple activities often strengthen the socio- economic fabric of rural areas.
Amendment 93 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 12
Recital 12
(12) A smartermore agroecological, modernised and more sustainable CAP needs to embrace research and innovation, in order to serve the multi- functionality of Union agriculture, forestry and food systems, investing in technological development and diagroecologitcalisation practices, as well as improving the access to and the sharing of impartial, sound, relevant and new knowledge.
Amendment 101 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 14
Recital 14
(14) In order to foster a smartn agroecological and resilient agricultural sector, direct payments keep on constitutmust be capped per active person working aon essential part to guarantee a fair income support to farmersthe farm and made conditional on the introduction of positive practices in terms of social and environmental benefit. Likewise, investments into farm restructuring, modernisation, innovation, and diversification and uptake of new technologies are necessary to improve farmers’ market reward.
Amendment 103 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 15
Recital 15
(15) In the context of greater European market- orientation of the CAP, as outlined by the Communication on ‘The Future of Food and Farming’, market exposure, climate change and associated frequency and severity of extreme weather events, as well as sanitary and phytosanitary crises, may lead to risks of price volatility and increasing pressures on incomes. Thus, although farmers are ultimately responsible for designing their on-farm strategies to improve the resilience of their farms, a robust framework should be set up to ensure appropriate risk management. To this aim, Member States and farmers may be able to draw on a Union-level platform on risk management for capacity-building in order to provide farmers with adequate financial instruments for investments and access to working capital, training, knowledge transfer and advice.
Amendment 115 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 21
Recital 21
(21) Building on the previous system of cross-compliance implemented until 2020, the system of new conditionality links full receipt of CAP support to the compliance by beneficiaries of basic standards concerning the environment, climate change, public health, animal health, plant health and animal welfare. The basic standards encompass in a streamlined form a list of statutory management requirements (SMRs) and standards of good agricultural and environmental conditions of land (GAECs). These basic standards should better take into account the environmental and climate challenges and the new environmental architecture of the CAP, thus delivering a higher level of environmental and climate ambition as the Commission announced in its Communications on the ‘Future of Food and Farming’ and the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). Conditionality must be in line with the real situation on the ground and tailored to fit with agroecological practices. It must also extend to social conditionality, and must include the EU provisions on animal welfare. Conditionality aims to contribute to the development of sustainable agriculture through better awareness on the part of beneficiaries of the need to respect those basic standards. It also aims to make the CAP more compatible with the expectations of society through improving consistency of the policy with the environment, public health, animal health, plant health and animal welfare objectives. Conditionality should form an integral part of the environmental architecture of the CAP, as part of the baseline for more ambitious environmental and climate commitments, and should be comprehensively applied across the Union. For those farmers who do not comply with those requirements, Member States should ensure that proportionate, effective and dissuasive penalties are applied in accordance with [the HZR Regulation].
Amendment 133 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 24
Recital 24
(24) Member States should set farm advisory services for the purpose of improving the sustainable management and overall performance of agricultural holdings and rural businesses, covering economic, environmental and social dimensions, and to identify the necessary improvements as regards all measures at farm level provided for in the CAP Strategic Plans. These farm advisory services should help farmers and other beneficiaries of CAP support to transition their agricultural systems to agroecology and to become more aware of the relationship between farm management and land management on the one hand, and certain standards, requirements and information, including environmental and climate ones, on the other hand. The list of the latter includes standards applying to or necessary for farmers and other CAP beneficiaries and set in the CAP Strategic Plan, as well as those stemming from the legislation on water, on the sustainable use of pesticides, as well as the initiatives to combat antimicrobial resistance and the management of risks. In order to enhance the quality and effectiveness of the advice, Member States should integrate advisors within the Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS), in order to be able to deliver up-to-date technological and scientific information developed by research and innovation.
Amendment 143 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 25
Recital 25
(25) In order to ensure a fairer distribution of income support, the amounts of direct payments above a certain ceiling should be reduced and the product should either be used for decoupled direct payments and in priority for the complementary redistributive income support for sustainability, or be transferred to the EAFRD. In order to avoid negative effects on employment, labour should be taken into account when applying the mechanism.
Amendment 153 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 30
Recital 30
(30) The creation and development of new economic activity in the agricultural sector by young farmers is financially challenging and constitutes an element that should be considered in the allocation and targeting of direct payments. This development is essential for the competitiveness of the agricultural sector in the Union and, for this reason, Member States may establish a specific decomuplementary incomed support for young farmers and new entrants. This type of interventions should be established to provide young farmers with an additional income support after the initial setting up.
Amendment 163 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 31
Recital 31
(31) The CAP should ensure that Member States increase the environmental delivery by respecting local needs and farmers' actual circumstances. Member States should under direct payments in the CAP Strategic Plan set up Eco-schemes voluntary for farmers, which should be fully coordinated with the other relevant interventions. They should be defined by the Member States as a payment granted either for incentivising and remunerating the provision of public goods by agricultural practices beneficial to the environment and climate or as a compensation for the introduction of these practices. In both cases they should aim at enhancing the environmental and climate performance of the CAP and should consequently be conceived to go beyond the mandatory requirements already prescribed by the system of conditionality. Member States may decide to set up eco-schemes for agricultural practices such as the enhanced management of permanent pastures and landscape features, to promote the maintenance of biodiversity and organic farming. These schemes may also include ‘entry- level schemes’ which may be a condition for taking up more ambitious rural development commitments.
Amendment 214 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 52
Recital 52
(52) Reflecting the importance of tackling climate change in line with the Union's commitments to implement the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, this Program will contribute to mainstream climate and environmental action in the Union's policies and to the achievement of an overall target of 25% of the EU budget expenditures supporting climate and environmental objectives. Actions under the CAP are expected to contribute 40 % of the overall financial envelope of the CAP to climate and environmental objectives. Relevant actions will be identified during the Program's preparation and implementation, and reassessed in the context of the relevant evaluations and review processes. A proportion of at least 40% of the CAP’s overall financial envelope should therefore be allocated to measures to shift current production systems to agroecological practices that are environmentally friendly and respect biodiversity, and also to the maintenance of such practices.
Amendment 219 #
Proposal for a regulation
Recital 52 a (new)
Recital 52 a (new)
(52a) In view of the impact of synthetic pesticides on human health, the environment and biodiversity, the alternative represented by organic farming should be considered to be a model mode of production for preserving biodiversity and improving the quality of food, water and soil. The European Union should adopt an ambitious approach in order to increase the proportion of usable farming land dedicated to organic farming and to give farmers adequate resources to ensure this.
Amendment 313 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point e – point iii a (new)
Article 4 – paragraph 1 – point e – point iii a (new)
(iiia) new entrants in agriculture who meet set criteria for ‘young farmer’ except for age.
Amendment 325 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point a
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point a
(a) to foster a smartn agro-ecological, resilient and diversified agricultural sector ensuring food security;
Amendment 328 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point b
Article 5 – paragraph 1 – point b
(b) to bolster environmental care and, protection of biodiversity, climate action and to contribute to the environmental- and climate-related objectives of the Union;
Amendment 355 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point b
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point b
(b) enhance European market orientation and increase social, environmental and economic competitiveness, including greater focus on research, and technology and digitalisation;
Amendment 368 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point d
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point d
(d) contribute to climate change mitigation and adaptation, as well as sustainable energythe reduction of greenhouse gases;
Amendment 398 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point f
Article 6 – paragraph 1 – point f
(f) contribute to the protection of biodiversity, enhance ecosystem services and preserve habitats and landscapespreserve biodiversity and habitats, bolster environmental services supplied by agriculture;
Amendment 552 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 13 – paragraph 4 – point f
Article 13 – paragraph 4 – point f
(f) development of digital technologies in agriculture and rural areas as referred to in Article 102(b)backing for the transition towards environmentally and biodiversity friendly agro-ecological practices.
Amendment 567 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 14 – paragraph 2 – point c
Article 14 – paragraph 2 – point c
(c) The complementary incomespecific decoupled support for young farmers and new entrants;
Amendment 777 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 28 – paragraph 5 – point b
Article 28 – paragraph 5 – point b
(b) go beyond the minimum requirements for the use of fertiliser andare beneficial for the environment, contribute to combating climate change and preserve biodiversity; should not in any case remunerate practices with negative impacts on these areas; go beyond the minimum requirements in terms of animal welfare and for the sustainable use of plant protection products, animal welfare, as well as other mstandatory requirementrds established by national and Union law;
Amendment 1480 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 114 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1 – point a
Article 114 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1 – point a
(a) create added value by better linking research and farming practice and encouraging the wider use of available agroecological innovation measures;
Amendment 1481 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 114 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1 – point b
Article 114 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1 – point b
(b) connect agroecological innovation actors and agroecological innovation projects;
Amendment 1483 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 114 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1 – point c
Article 114 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1 – point c
(c) promote the faster and wider transposition of innovative agroecological solutions into practice; and
Amendment 1487 #
Proposal for a regulation
Article 114 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 3
Article 114 – paragraph 4 – subparagraph 3
The envisaged agroecological innovation may be based on new but also on traditional practices in a new geographical or environmental context.