22 Amendments of Hilde VAUTMANS related to 2020/2077(INI)
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers that the agriculture, food and forestry sectors and rural areas are essential components of the circular economy, and more specific the circular bioeconomy. Bioeconomy relies on a truly dynamic farming and forestry sector and in order for bioeconomy to reach its full potential, it must continue to be a priority for the EU and coherent measures and funding must be made available;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers that the agriculture, food and forestry sectors and rural areas are essential components of the circular economy; and underlines that the circular economy and bio-economy can provide solutions to the new challenges facing the agricultural sector caused and highlighted by the COVID-19 crisis by reducing the vulnerability of value chains within the EU and globally;
Amendment 15 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Takes the view that the announcement of the action plan is a clarion call for profound change to reorient farm production models towards agro-ecology, given the degradation and scarcity both in natural resources and in the rest ofacceleration and realisation of the full potential of the circular economy and the bio-economy in the agriculture sector and across the food- supply chain;
Amendment 28 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls for the implementation of a European protein plan advocating consumption of legumes, asto become more independent of protein imports; moreover, growing new protein crops in Europe could give an opportunity to farmers; the production of crops that need no nitrogen- based fertilisers has an additional advantage;
Amendment 32 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Highlights the important role of bio-based products, including for example, the better recovery and use of bio-waste, in the transition to a circular carbon-neutral economy;
Amendment 34 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Sees the circular bio-economy as an opportunity for agriculture, enabling it generate renewable energy from biodegradable farm and municipal waste and its by-products: organic fertilisers; Considers that the circular economy and bio-economy offers great potential for farmers and their cooperatives in the transition towards a climate-neutral European economy through for example, advanced bio- refineries that produce bio-fertilisers, protein feed, bioenergy and biochemicals; highlights that farmers have the potential to produce renewable energy such as biogas from agricultural waste and residues such as manure, or from other sources of waste and residues from the food industry, sewage, wastewater and municipal waste; urges greater research, prioritisation and investment in these options;
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Considers that value-added utilisation of agro-residue and agro- bioenergy are important drivers for the circular economy and bio-economy, and that in the EU, renewable energy obtained through agro-residues have significant potential and should be explored with further research, investment and a supportive policy framework.
Amendment 42 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5 b. Underlines the essential role of sustainable forest management in circular and bioeconomy, where the wood-based materials function as carbon storages and substitute fossil and other non-renewable materials in many industrial applications such as construction, fibre products, textiles, composites, bioplastics, renewable energy and chemicals while increasing forest resources serve as sinks;
Amendment 45 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 c (new)
Paragraph 5 c (new)
5 c. Highlights that the transformation towards a circular economy and bio- economy can only be accelerated and scaled when business incentives are aligned with policy goals and a supportive policy framework;
Amendment 46 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 d (new)
Paragraph 5 d (new)
5 d. Notes that the development of the circular economy and bio-economy will create more jobs in the primary production and stresses that the bio economy requires new skills, new knowledge and new disciplines be developed and/or integrated further in training and education in this sector in order to tackle bio economy-related societal changes, promote competitiveness, growth and job creation, meet the needs of the sector and ensure that skills and jobs are better matched;
Amendment 50 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. HopNotes that thee potential of a fully implemented circular economy willto contribute to the relodiversification of agriculture and food producincome for farmers and the contribution ait local level by strengthening regional and local food systemcan make downstream in the rural economy, bringing benefits to both agriculture and rural communities;
Amendment 52 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Hopes that the circular economy will contribute to the relocation of agriculture and food production at local level by strengthening regional and localstrengthening of regional and local food systems which could strengthen the position of the farmer in the food systems;
Amendment 54 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Notes that within the wider circular economy the uptake of carbon removal and increased circularity of carbon, in full respect of the biodiversity objectives should be incentivised; calls on the Commission to explore the development of a regulatory framework for certification of carbon removals based on robust and transparent carbon accounting to monitor and verify the authenticity of carbon removals;
Amendment 56 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
Amendment 63 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Emphasises the right of consumers to more precise information about the environmental impacts of products, and supports the Commission in its efforts to make proposals to substantiate green claims through solid, accurate and harmonised calculation methods; underlines that those calculation methods must incentivise green production methods, and shall take into account efforts madeby first movers;
Amendment 66 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls for prevention measures to be stepped up in the fight against food loss and waste; and stresses that food wastage has huge environmental consequences, contributes to climate change and represents a waste of limited resources such as land, energy and water; therefore, urges the Commission via the Farm to Fork Strategy to introduce swift proposals to implement the goal of halving food waste by 2030;
Amendment 73 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8 a. Stresses that, in order to reduce wastage at the production stage, innovative techniques and technologies should be used to optimise performance in the fields and convert those products that do not meet market standards into processed goods;
Amendment 74 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 b (new)
Paragraph 8 b (new)
8 b. Notes the benefits of cooperation and digitalisation, which allows better access to data and demand forecasts, and developing advance production programmes for farmers, enabling them totailor their production to demand, better coordinate with the other sectors of the food supply chain, and minimise wastage; given the challenging nature of reducing unavoidable food waste, stresses that effective use of food waste, including in the bio economy, should be promoted;
Amendment 76 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 c (new)
Paragraph 8 c (new)
8 c. Notes the potential within the circular economy for optimisation of use of food unavoidably lost or discarded and by-products from the food chain, in particular those of animal origin, in feed production, nutrient recycling and production of soil improvers and their importance for primary production;
Amendment 78 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 d (new)
Paragraph 8 d (new)
8 d. Notes the potential for optimisation of former foodstuff and by- products from the food chain in feed production and its importance for primary production; calls for an multi-stakeholder approach to collect unsold, unconsumed and inedible food and redirecting it into feed manufacture and also consequently calls on the Commission to analyse legal barriers to the use of former foodstuffs in feed production and to promote research in this area, while at the same time stressing the need for increased traceability, compliance with biosecurity standards and using separation and treatment processes that bring food safety risk down to zero;
Amendment 81 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Urges the use of bio-sourced and biodegradable materials in agricultural plastics; underlines the need for clear labelling of plastics that are biodegradable and plastics that are merely bio-sourced and non-biodegradable; welcomes the intention to develop a policy framework for sourcing, labelling and use of bio-based plastics, and highlights that non-food crops, waste products and side streams of the agro-industry should be the main source for bio-plastics;
Amendment 83 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. UrgeSupports the use of bio-sourced and biodegradable materials in agricultural plastics where possible;