24 Amendments of Maria HEUBUCH related to 2016/2223(INI)
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Recognises that many farmers are in a difficult economic situation due to low food prices and a failed agricultural policy that is based on mass production of cheap food for the world market rather than on the supply for EU demand;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Notes that producers to some extent accept the wastage or destruction of food as part of the balance of profitability;
Amendment 19 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. Calls for the establishment in EU legislation of a comprehensive food waste hierarchy with a clear focus on source prevention; stresses that prevention at source is the top priority in the waste hierarchy for food waste; notes that thereafter comes use for the human diet, and only then feedstuffs for animals, then composting and anaerobic decomposition, i.e. a) source prevention; b) edible food rescue, prioritising human use over animal feed and the reprocessing into non-food products; c) organic recycling; d) energy recovery; e) disposal;
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1b. Notes that the processing industry to some extent accepts the wastage or destruction of food as part of the balance of profitability;
Amendment 25 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1 c. stresses that the use of food waste for energy production must not cause a clash between food and fuel, and energy needs should be met rather by using waste and by-products that are not useful in any other process higher up the waste hierarchy (e.g. organic waste ought to act as input for composting/topsoil creation);
Amendment 27 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
1c. Notes that consumers to some extent accept the wastage or destruction of food for reasons of convenience;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1 d. Stresses that the industrialization of European agriculture has led to the sector putting heavy pressure on natural resources such as water, soil and energy to an extent that is not sustainable; stresses that, in terms of circular economy and resource efficiency, it is not appropriate to use natural resources for the production of food, only to subsequently waste a considerable share of it, even in order to generate additional income;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 d (new)
Paragraph 1 d (new)
1d. Stresses in this connection that cognitive education and practical cooking knowledge and skills are the best prevention against food wastage in the private sphere;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Notes the potential for optimisation of use of former foodstuffsnon-avoidable food waste and by- products from the food chain in feed production and its importance for primary production, but stresses the need for increased traceability; and using separation and treatment processes that bring food safety risk down to zero; Is concerned that "clarification of relevant EU legislation related to waste, food and feed in order to facilitate food donation and utilisation of former foodstuffs for animal feed", as announced for 2016 1a , has not yet been tackled; _________________ 1aAnnex to the Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committtee and the Committee of the regions: „Closing the loop- An action plan for the Circular Economy (2015)
Amendment 47 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Highlights the importance of cooperation, for example via Producer Organisations, for increased access to finance for innovation and investment in treatment technologies such as composting and anaerobic digestion or further processing of products which couldnon-avoidable food waste which could even in some cases allow farmers to access new markets and customers; Stresses further that the top priority must be to avoid food waste as laid down in the Waste Framework Directive; Notes that investment in infrastructure to deal with food waste demands a return on capital, which can develop its own dynamics, namely to produce more food waste instead of avoiding it in order to pay back the investments made;
Amendment 57 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Notes the benefits of access to data and forecasts and developing advance production programmes for farmers, enabling them to better match supply to demand and minimise wastage; emphasises the need for state-coordinated or EU supported measures for dynamic and reactive supply management in the event of a crisis induced by over- production, in order to align production with EU demand, thus stabilising prices and reducing waste;
Amendment 65 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Stresses that agricultural incomes should be increased by providing farmers with fair and remunerative farm gate prices, using public funds to pay for services provided to society, and aligning production with EU demand (to avoid the low prices caused by over-production or foreign policy changes);
Amendment 70 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4 b. Calls on the EU-Commission and Member States to provide additional incentives for the prevention of food waste;
Amendment 71 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4 c. Calls on the Commission and Member States to better inform farmers and consumers about more efficient management of energy, water and natural resources throughout the food chain, so as to significantly reduce waste of resources and food, with the aim of reducing input costs and nutrient wastage and increasing innovation and sustainability within farming systems;
Amendment 73 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Considers that increased research and information is needed on enabling access to secondary market opportunities and alternative uses for products which would otherwise be ploughed back into the soil or wato avoid food waste in primary production and to replace resource-wasting practices in agricultural production, food processing or distribution, with environmentally- friendly methods; Notes that use as compost is a priority lower down the efficiency cascade, to be used once other options are exhausted;
Amendment 82 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Notes the contamination risk involved from plastic and metal in food waste inputs to compost and soil, and onwards to freshwater and marine ecosystems, and urges that this pollution route be minimised; Recalls in addition the intention of the sewage sludge in agriculture directive, to minimise contamination in agricultural soils; calls therefore for caution when considering mixing of waste streams and for appropriate safeguards;
Amendment 92 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Notes the difficulty in quantifying food wastage at the primary production stage, and calls on the Commission to identify and disseminate to Member States best practice in relation to gathering data on food loss and food waste on farms and ports without placing an additional administrative burden on farmers; and fisherfolk; considers that new data to be collected in the Common Fisheries Policy1a should provide better information on losses in the fishing industry; _________________ 1aThe fisheries committee will not have an opinion, yet fish related food waste is an enormous issue for resource efficiency
Amendment 114 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Stresses however that the use of stocks and food that would otherwise be wasted, either for the vulnerable poor in food banks or in energy production, does not preclude the need for good supply management and wise management of the food chain which avoids systematic structural surpluses and which matches EU production with demand;
Amendment 125 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Notes that somconsiderable wastage at farm level is also due to the role played by retailers in relation to excessive retailer standards regarding product specifications such as size/quality grades or appearance of fruit and vegetables, cancelled orders owing to changes in consumer demand, and over-production as a result of requirements to meet seasonal demands.; Notes that when the Commission removed the regulations on standardised fruits and vegetables, they were brought back by the retailers via their contracts with farmers;
Amendment 138 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Calls on the Member States to encourage and support initiatives geared to stimulating sustainable small- and medium-scale production that is linked to local and regional markets and consumption; acknowledges that local markets are environmentally sustainable and contribute to the stability of the primary sector; asks that the common agricultural policy earmark, in the future, the necessary funding to promote stability in the primary sector, for example by means of direct sales, local markets and all measures to promote low or zero food miles 1a ; _________________ 1aEP resolution of 19.01.2012 on how to avoid food wastage: strategies for a more efficient food chain in the EU (2011/2175 INI)
Amendment 150 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8 b. Notes the significant waste of resources and money, including input cost and vet bills, involved with feeding high protein grains to ruminants, especially when farmers are suffering from an overproduction in milk; notes that ruminants have evolved to eat grass and other vegetation and obtain protein by digesting bacterial fermentations; calls for information to farmers and promotion of less input-dependent systems based predominantly on grazing;
Amendment 157 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 c (new)
Paragraph 8 c (new)
8 c. Notes also the resource waste involved in feeding grain to animals and the trophic losses and inevitable energy inefficiencies involved in rearing animals for food; notes in this context the relative resource-efficiency of reducing meat consumption from current historically high levels and replacing meat with more pulses, legumes, whole grains and seeds and for optimal human nutrition with less environmental impact;
Amendment 165 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 d (new)
Paragraph 8 d (new)
8 d. Notes the absurdity of mass producing evermore limited range of staple food commodities and shipping them around the world where identical cargoes pass each other in container ships; notes this is the antithesis of short food chains and is completely wasteful of limited resources, yet is the basis for international trade deals like TTIP and CETA;
Amendment 167 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 e (new)
Paragraph 8 e (new)
8 e. Notes that we already massively overproduce as between and third and half of all food produced ends up as waste, therefore questions the presentation of the supposed need to increase production still further by 2050; therefore considers that emphasis should rather be placed on promoting less wasteful production, processing and distribution methods.