7 Amendments of Luke Ming FLANAGAN related to 2015/2227(INI)
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates that the expected rise in the world’s population to 9.1 billion by 2050 will require a 60 % increase in food production and a 24 % increase in crop yields in the developed countries by that date; whereas the FAO also estimates that there will be only a 4.3 % increase in arable land by 2050, believes that one of the most effective ways of meeting this anticipated demand while not depleting scares resources is by harnessing innovation to tackling food waste, currently estimated to be in the region of 100 million tons within the EU and according to the FAO at around 33% globally;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas consumers are demanding food production with higher environmental standards and nutritional value, while the agricultural sector needs to diversify and innovate to provide good and affordable food for all, while at the same time provide a viable return for the primary producer;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Notes that agriculture has always developed new practices, techniques and production methods that have increased outputs and improved the adaptability of farming practices to new and changing circumstances; notes further that agriculture is a key part of our natural world which thus provides services that go beyond producing food and can be enhanced by fostering new developments; is convinced that innovation is a prerequisite for maintaining this progressbelieves that the missing element of years of progression is the ability of farming to provide a standard of living that would make it an attractive option to young farmers, is convinced therefore that innovation must be used to benefit all actors in the food chain;
Amendment 218 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Points out that climate-smart farming practices could have a triple-win effect by increasing sustainable production, ensuring climate-resilient farming that is better able to cope with changing and adverse weather patterns, and reducing emissions from the agricultural sector by encouraging productive, resource-efficient and circular systems; stresses that the agricultural sector has the unique opportunity to actively capture CO2 by means of forestation, use of cover crops and leguminous crops, and absorbing greenhouse gases in the soil (carbon sinking), this highlights the need to broaden the definition of "productive agriculture" and to fully support and respect those farming lands which provide public goods in climate mitigation and carbon sequestration;
Amendment 267 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Highlights the possibility of using financial instruments to help improve stable returns and margins, believes however that this should not be a substitute to ensuring a viable return from the marketplace and urges the commission to address the imbalance in this food chain; notes that only five Member States have taken up the extended possibilities under the new Rural Development Programme to make use of market-compatible financial instruments in order to address market gaps; calls on the Commission to facilitate access to capital, since lack of such access is often a barrier to innovation;
Amendment 274 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Calls on the Commission to work with the EIB in order to create new financing opportunities for Member States that establish forms of financial support such as guarantee funds, revolving funds or investment capital to facilitate access to credit for farmers and groupings of farmers such as cooperatives, helping on-farm investment for modernisation while also offering financing opportunities for young farmers to expand their businesses, as well as to ensure investment in public-sector research combined with public-private partnerships in order to test and launch innovative products, believes that this should be done in a responsible manner recognizing that lack of profitability in the sector is a greater constraint to innovation and sustained growth, than lack of credit; notes that soft credit in other sectors have had long-lasting adverse effects;
Amendment 293 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Considers that economic development and ecological sustainability are complementary provided enough room is left for innovation and entrepreneurship and provided action is taken to prevent the appearance of differences in national implementation, so as to ensure a genuine level playing field, also by exploring new and relevant techniques such as satellite imaging; calls on the Commission to ensure a genuine level playing field for the agricultural sector by actively monitoring relevant legislation such as the Birds and Habitats Directives and, believes that in the implementation thereof and reporting back to Parliament every two yearsof these directives innovative techniques can be used to assess and quantify the benefits and outputs that these areas are capable of delivering, in terms of climate mitigation and other public goods that are not currently recognized or paid for by the market place;