32 Amendments of Hilde VAUTMANS related to 2021/2239(INI)
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas Regulation (EU) 2018/848 on organic production and labelling of organic products obliges farmers to comply with a conversion period during which they have to apply all rules on organic production; whereas this period may last up to 3 years; whereas farmers during this period have to bear higher costs of production without benefiting from higher market prices for organic products;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas it is essential to ensure that consumers and food services are in a position to make informed choices when purchasing food;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas organic farming has a potential to contribute to environmental protection and biodiversity and at the same time revitalise rural areas, creating employment, supporting the sustainability of small farms, bringing consumers and producers closer, enhancing the connections with the local economy and stimulating positive economic multipliers;
Amendment 73 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Underlines that the development and growth of the organic sector must be accompanied by market-driven and accompanied by holistic supply chain developments as well as measures to stimulate further the demand for organic food and ensure consumer trust, in order to safeguard the future profitability of the organic market and organic farming in the EU;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Underlines that the development and growth of the organic sector must be accompanied by market-driven and accompanied by holistic supply chain developments as well as measures to stimulate furmeet ther demand for organic food and ensure consumer trust, in order to safeguard the future profitability of the organic market and organic farming in the EU;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Highlights that stimulating agricultural sustainability and resilience of the EU foodsystem should be a priority; underlines that co-existence of different farming systems is important as diversity is key to food system security and resilience and benefits sustainable development; points out that there is no single farming model that fits all countries and regions and stresses that the benefits of the different sustainable farming models should be recognised;
Amendment 82 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that for an EU action plan to succeed, it must stimulate and mobilise the Member States; expresses the view, therefore,, taking into account their specificities and different starting points; stresses that Member States should be encouraged to develop their own national OAPs with concrete, time-bound actions; highlights that the national OAPs should create predictability and clarity for farmers and industry, thus encouraging the conversion to organic farming and the commercialisation of organic products;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that for an EU action plan to succeed, it must stimulate and mobilise the Member States; expresses the view, therefore, that Member States should be encouraged to develop their own national OAPs with concrete, time-bound action objectives, incentives, actions, time-frames and budgets;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses that Member States should engage all stakeholders, especially organic farmers and associations, local and regional authorities, consumer and private sector representatives and the hospitality industry, in a consultative process when adopdesigning, adopting and implementing their national OAPs to achieve the best possible synergies;
Amendment 105 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Stresses that Member States should engage all stakeholders, especially organic farmers and associations, local and regional authorities, consumer and private sector representatives and, the hospitality and food industryies, in a consultative process when adopting their national OAPs to achieve the best possible synergies;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recognises the importance of speeding up the development of organic aquaculture and wild organic picking areas in the EU;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Is of the opinion that legislation and OAPs must provide sufficient room for flexibility for Member States' different organic practices and prerequisites, such as climate zones and length of growing seasons;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Stresses the need for modern and innovative methods when developing new organic seeds and agriculture practices, maintaining high level of protection of human health and the environment;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6a. Expresses its concern about misleading labels, packaging and advertising that makes it difficult for consumers to distinguish conventional products from organic products; emphasizes that the terms 'locally produced' or 'regionally produced' should only be used if the main ingredients of the food product concerned are actually from that region, and that the terms 'authentic' or 'natural' should never be allowed for industrially processed foods;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Considers, however, that increased support for the promotion of organic products should not be at the expense of other sustainable products, such as geographical indications, which strongly contribute to the economic growth in many rural areas and are the flagship of European agriculture;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 d (new)
Paragraph 6 d (new)
6d. Welcomes the launch of an annual EU organic day; believes that it represents an opportunity to improve the visibility and the recognition for organic farming and raise awareness of the benefits of organic production;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Supports the Commission in further promoting the EU organic logo among consumers, including through organic school schemese promotion of local and organic logos that exists in several Member States and are used together with the EU organic logo; emphasises that it is of paramount importance that consumer surveys on organics are followed by actions to further raise awareness of organic farmingproduction;
Amendment 145 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Supports promoting the consumption of organic food in European schools as it can be an important driver for the development of the organic sector;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Reminds that demands from professional kitchens differ from those of the households; stresses the importance to create added value for the supply chain and increase the processing level of organic products to respond for the needs of professional kitchens;
Amendment 149 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Believes that increasing green public procurement (GPP) in the Member States can serve as a strong stimulus for action towards the organic target; believes that the EU institutions should lead by example; calls on the Commission to research current structural and logistical barriers and to promote the use of GPP criteria in the Member States; believes that the increase of the green public procurement should be decided and national level in accordance with the national demand and targets set in the national OAPs;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Points out that local, regional and regnational authorities play an important role in supporting the structuring of the organic sector in terms of production, logistics and trade, facilitating the creation of organised cooperation between producers and consumers, and raising awareness at local level and developing educational programmes for preschools and schools; highlights that all authorities continuously must work with easing the administrative burden and regulations in order to make the regulatory framework better;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Points out that local and regional authorities play an important role in supporting the structuring of the organic sector in terms of production, logistics and trade, facilitating the creation of organised cooperation between producers, food services and consumers, as well as raising public awareness at local levelbout the differences between various sustainable farming methods and developing educational programmes for preschools and schools;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Underlines that it is essential for the Commission, the Member States and stakeholders to engage actively in identifying ways in which the existing certification and control mechanisms can be made more robust to prevent fraud in organic production and trade, both in the EU and in non-EU countries, as well as to prevent additional administrative burdens and costs for farmers, including by using IT solutions;; stresses that the certification process in the conversion to organic farming continues to be cumbersome and difficult to implement, especially for small farmers; thus, underlines the need for simplification, reduction of administrative burdens and costs.
Amendment 183 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Considers that concrete action to promote exports of EU organic products is needed; acknowledge, in this regard, the potential of the existing EU promotion policy for organic production; underlines that any promotion policy should recognise the wide range of sustainable production methods, practises and products in the EU; requests that the Commission report regularly on forthcoming negotiations with the EU’s trading partners to inform Parliament about the potential for expansion of the organic market;
Amendment 198 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Considers that an adequate common agricultural policy (CAP) budget should be provided to create incentives for farmers to convert to and maintain organic farming practices at national level, through rural development measures or newly introduced eco-schemes, or a combination of the two; calls on the Member States to support generational renewal in organic farming; considers that the Commission, in the process of approval of strategic plans, should ensure that Member States have allocated sufficient funding for the conversion to organic farming, especially through eco-schemes; points out that the conversion to organic farming will not be possible without adequate incentives and financial support;
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Considers that an adequate common agricultural policy (CAP) budget should be provided to create incentives for farmers to convert to and maintainfurther develop organic farming practices at national level, through rural development measures or newly introduced eco-schemes, or a combination of the two; calls on the Member States to support generational renewal in organic farming;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Amendment 257 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Recognise the potential of a common European agriculture data space to increase the consumer knowledge and trust as well as to make the organic supply chain traceable;
Amendment 264 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Stresses the need for research and innovation to overcome restrictions in organic agriculture, such as the availability of organic protein feed, vitamins, plant protection products, fertilisers and genetic resources and to encourage meeting societal expectations on animal welfare and efficient resource use; reminds the importance of livestock manure as an organic fertilizer and encourages its sustainable use in the cultivation cycle; welcomes the Commission’s intention to earmark Horizon Europe funding in this respect; calls on the Commission to stimulate and foster cooperation between research communities working on organic and conventional food and farming;
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Underlines that bio-fertilizers and bio-based soil improvers are important components of organic farming practices; stresses therefore the need to incentivise innovation with regard to the production of bio-fertilizers and bio-based soil improvers from various types of biomass waste such as animal manure and food waste;
Amendment 282 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Stresses the need to support the development of safe, effective and affordable alternative to plant protection products as an important element of the development of organic production;
Amendment 289 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Highlights the importance of sufficiently available, high-quality organic seeds, heterogeneous material and high- yielding plant varieties, also varieties that are locally adopted; points out their potential in strengthening resilience against plant diseases and the impact of climate change; encourages the Commission and the Member States to step up efforts to improve the functioning of the organic seed market and believes that transitional periods would be helpful in achieving this;