Activities of Miguel VIEGAS related to 2015/2227(INI)

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. whereas the memorandum of understanding between the Commission and the EIB signed on 14 July 2014 explicitly encourages further investments in innovative agriculture, providing tools to foster the uptake of investments in agriculture and including a proposal from the Commission aimed at supporting and expanding financial tools in the farming sector ~~in order to combat price fluctuations~~;

2016/01/21
Committee: AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

K. whereas the agricultural sector has been subject to frequent cycles of change aimed at enhancing agricultural productivity, which have contributed significantly to the economic development of agriculture to its current level; whereas the incorporation of the latest technologies into farming practices ~~will bring significant benefits for all farm sizes;~~ is leading to increased debt among farmers and increased dependence on fossil fuels and banks, as well as having a hugely negative social and environmental impact; whereas this has led to the closure of many farms, concentrating production in increasingly large farms based on an industrial model;

2016/01/21
Committee: AGRI

Motion for a resolution
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 progress~~research and innovation based on agroecology;

2016/01/21
Committee: AGRI

Motion for a resolution
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 progress~~believes 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;

2016/01/21
Committee: AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Encourages the Commission to come forward with solutions to stimulate the uptake of ICT-based management systems, real-time data monitoring, sensor technology and the use of detection systems ~~for the optimisation of production systems or precision agriculture, which inter alia could mean adapting to changing production and market conditions leading to~~designed to promote progress towards agroecology, which inter alia could mean more efficient use of natural resources, ~~increased crop performance~~better crops, reduction of the environmental footprint, better understanding of animal behaviour, and improved animal health and welfare;

2016/01/21
Committee: AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Is convinced that information gathered by robotics, sensor technology, automatic control and other technological innovations in the context of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies and Big Data will enable real- time monitoring, better decision-making, and improved operations management along the whole food chain; welcomes the creation of the Alliance for Internet of Things Innovation (AIOTI) Working Group 06 on ‘smart farming and food safety’, and stresses in this respect the importance and relevance of the European Digital Single Market for agriculture in terms of tackling problems of interoperability, standards for better convergence and questions of data ownership;

2016/01/21
Committee: AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Is concerned at the low level of awareness concerning the potential of Big Data and IoT and the fragmentation of the related technology systems, which increase the barriers to uptake and slow down deployment, and is disappointed at the slow take up of GPS technologies; notes that in the EU currently only 10 % of aided guidance, less than 1 % of real time kinematic movement and less than 1 % of variable rate application techniques are being used; encourages the Commission to quantify environmental and production benefit and to ensure awareness, knowledge and technology transfers;deleted

2016/01/21
Committee: AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Encourages innovative solutions in animal housing systems that can contribute to a higher level of animal welfare and consequently lead to higher levels of animal health, by reducing the need for veterinary medicinal products, including antimicrobials; stresses that the application of antimicrobials should be prudent and responsible and would be improved by improving the entire production chain with more efficient and faster diagnostic tools that rely on data, better real-time monitoring, targeted precautionary measures and new ways of dispensing in order to combat antimicrobial resistance; points to the need to increase funding for research with a view to discovering new active ingredients to counteract emerging diseases;

2016/01/21
Committee: AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Welcomes the production of animal protein for feed and food through growing insects that can deliver an efficient conversion of organic residual streams into protein and nutrients with a lower climate impact and using less water than most conventional farm animals; is concerned that the current legislation on processed animal protein does not take into account the specificities of the production process for insects, since use of insect proteins is obstructed by outdated regulatory frameworks that make slaughterhouse requirement applicable to insects; urges the Commission to clarify this issue;deleted

2016/01/21
Committee: AGRI

12. Highlights that a sizeable proportion of biotic waste streams are already used as, for example, animal feed ~~or base material for biofuels~~; considers, however, that these materials should generate even higher outputs by aiming for the most added value and by using new technologies such as ~~biorefining,~~ insect breeding, solid state fermentation, biogas extraction and the extraction of minerals from manure; notes the lack of economies of scale for agricultural by-products and waste streams, and encourages the Commission to support their reuse by facilitating EU-wide recognition systems and special rural development programmes, to facilitate cross-border circulation and to improve synergy and coherence with other EU policies;

2016/01/21
Committee: AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Highlights that a sizeable proportion of biotic waste streams are already used as, for example, animal feed or base material for biofuels; considers, however, that these materials should generate even higher outputs by aiming for the most added value and by using new technologies such as biorefining, insect breeding, solid state fermentation, biogas extraction and the extraction of minerals from manure; notes the lack of economies of scale for agricultural by-products and waste streams, and encourages the Commission to support their reuse by facilitating EU-wide recognition systems and special rural development programmes, to facilitate cross-border circulation and to improve synergy and coherence with other EU policiese need to reduce biotic waste streams by developing a form of farming grounded in the principles of agroecology;

2016/01/21
Committee: AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Is concerned that the EU is highly dependent on the import of minerals for the production of artificial fertilisers such as phosphate and that the production of artificial fertilisers has a high ecological footprint; emphasises the possibility of processing animal manure into mineral concentrate that could be used to manufacture ‘green fertiliser’ that can reduce and eventually replace the need for artificial fertilisers, in the light of an efficiency level comparable to that of the latter; welcomes the fact that the production and use of mineral concentrates makes a significant contribution to the circular economy by closing the mineral loop, and asks the Commission to revise the EU fertiliser regulation ~~and remove barriers in the nitrates directive~~ so as to stimulate the development of mineral concentrate from animal manure;

2016/01/21
Committee: AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Points out that ~~climate-smart farming~~agroecological 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~~much more beneficial effect, since they improve soil quality, require less weather ~~patterns, and reducing emissions from the agricultural sector by encouraging productive, resource- efficient and circular systems; stresses~~and increase sustainable production, ensuring a form of farming 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)~~lps mitigate the effects of climate change by cutting the amount of emissions generated by the farming sector;

2016/01/21
Committee: AGRI

Motion for a resolution
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;

2016/01/21
Committee: AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

16. Considers soil quality to be of economic and ecological importance since a depletion of the ecological state would result in less productive soil, lower nutrient availability, increases in susceptibility of plants to pests and diseases, lower water holding capacity and diminished biodiversity; calls on the Commission to support innovative practices and the sharing of best practices such as crop rotation systems or fertilising with green legumes to avoid further soil degradation; believes that the interplay between organic matter and production needs to be better understood; welcomes research into innovative practices such as the use of microbial interventions, in line with agroecological principles, and plant-soil interactions which could lower the environmental impact and reduce the use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides; recognises the importance of a sustainable soil use that takes account of site-specific needs;

2016/01/21
Committee: AGRI

Motion for a resolution
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;

2016/01/21
Committee: AGRI

Motion for a resolution
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~~;

2016/01/21
Committee: AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Acknowledges that there is a great potential for better risk management and sees the current risk management tools as underdeveloped, a situation which could result in short-term loss of productivity and long-term loss of innovation; calls on the Commission to investigate and report on the possibility of ~~stimulating private insurance schemes covering~~public European insurance schemes to cope more effectively with risks and the volatility of farm incomes related to natural or man-made disasters so as to cover adverse climatic events, animal or plant diseases, pest infestations or environmental incidents, as mentioned in Article 37 of Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013;

2016/01/21
Committee: AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Welcomes the opportunities opened up by the European Innovation Partnership AGRI (EIP-AGRI) for applied research within the agricultural sector, but is worried by the fragmented way the EIP- AGRI is implemented as part of national or regional Pillar II programmes; asks the Commission to look into the possibility of changing the EIP-AGRI cofinancing mechanisms ~~in order to ensure effective research that is better linked to the market and is driven by real entrepreneurial needs~~, creating cross-border research focus groups and better participation possibilities for businesses, with a more active involvement by the Commission in terms of providing an explicit innovation and research agenda linked to Horizon 2020 programmes;

2016/01/21
Committee: AGRI

Motion for a resolution
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 years~~of 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;

2016/01/21
Committee: AGRI