24 Amendments of Juozas OLEKAS related to 2020/2273(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 (new)
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1. Whereas agricultural biodiversity includes all components of biological diversity of relevance to food and agriculture; whereas it includes the variety and variability of ecosystems, animals, plants and micro-organisms, at the genetic, species and ecosystem levels which are necessary to sustain key functions of the ecosystems;
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 a (new)
Paragraph -1 a (new)
-1a. Whereas the major direct drivers of biodiversity loss are changes in land and sea use; natural resource extraction; climate change; pollution; and invasion of alien species; whereas those drivers result from adverse set of underlying causes related notably with production and consumption patterns, human population dynamics and trends, trade and technological innovations1a; _________________ 1aIPBES, “Global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services”, 2019
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 b (new)
Paragraph -1 b (new)
-1b. Whereas the long term trends in farmland and forest common bird and grassland butterfly populations demonstrate that Europe has experienced a major decline in farmland biodiversity; whereas this is primarily due to loss, fragmentation and degradation of natural ecosystems, mainly caused by agricultural intensification, intensive forest management, land abandonment and urban sprawl 1b; _________________ 1bEEA, “The European environment – state and outlook 2020”, 2019.
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 c (new)
Paragraph -1 c (new)
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 d (new)
Paragraph -1 d (new)
-1d. Whereas agriculture and forestry are key components of the European economy and society, providing safe, quality and affordable food and representing a major component of the viability of rural areas, in terms of preserving employment and economic opportunities, quality of life and the environment;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 e (new)
Paragraph -1 e (new)
-1e. Whereas the specific nature and structural features of the EU agricultural sector, mainly composed by small farms based on family labour, two-thirds of which with less than 5 ha in size, and where around one third of the managers are 65 years old or over, poses specific challenges that need to be taken into consideration by policy makers in designing measures and policies involving the sector;
Amendment 17 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Recalls that agricultural productivity and resilience depend on biodiversity to guarantee the long-term sustainability of our food systems; underlines, furthermore, that much of the biodiversity across Europe has been created by farming and its survival is dependent on the continued active and sustainable management of farmland;
Amendment 51 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Stresses that the implementation of this strategy will not be as effective as intended from an environmental point of view, unless alternatives and support are provided to ensure that farmers and their businesses do not lose market competitiveness; calls on the Commission to put in place the necessary mechanisms to ensure that third countries which export products to the EU also implement the new measures that apply to European farmers and thus make biodiversity protection more effective globally;
Amendment 59 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Recalls the importance of encouraging the collective approach, taking advantage of its multiplier effect, to promote the actions of the biodiversity strategy, and calls on the Commission to promote and support associative enterprises, such as agri-food cooperatives, in the implementation of measures to protect biodiversity in a collective manner;
Amendment 86 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Emphasises the strong link with the Farm to Fork strategy and the need for a holistic approach to the food system; calls on the Commission to establish an evidence-based evaluation of the implementation of the strategy’s measures and targets, in particular of the individual and cumulative impacts on the social and economic sustainability of agriculture and forestry in the EU, on food security and prices, and on the potential risks of displacing biodiversity losses abroad by the replacement of local agricultural and forestry production with imports;
Amendment 112 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Considers that biodiversity conservation is a key societal goal, requiring a broad and inclusive debate, and the effective participation of everyone in society, in particular those more affected by the measures, such as the farming community and forest-based sector, while at the same benefiting from their knowledge and experience, and creating a sense of ownership and increased commitment with biodiversity protection, vital for the successful implementation of the strategy;
Amendment 123 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Considers that more focus should be put at all policy levels in developing win-win solutions for biodiversity protection where the three dimensions of sustainability, economic, social and environmental are promoted;
Amendment 240 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Highlights the importance of enhancing biodiversity in agro-systems at all levels, from fields to landscapes; considers fundamental to reinforce scientific research on the relations between agriculture practices, ecological processes and ecosystems services, promoting the development of innovative practical solutions and the site-specific knowledge necessary to promote ecosystem services in a wide range of ecological contexts;
Amendment 286 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Considers that the Strategy’s objectives on the reduction of use and risk of pesticides will foster environmentally- friendly innovative solutions for crop protection, such as the development of new biological active substances, promotion of natural pest control methods, more precise and effective application techniques and of epidemiological models to better control pests and diseases, reducing the need for pesticides;
Amendment 288 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Recalls that in order to achieve an effective reduction of plant protection products we need to apply all the tools at our disposal without excluding those offered by biotechnology, which includes new genomic techniques for which a legislative framework should be established for their implementation in the EU;
Amendment 296 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Highlights that the excessive use of fertilisers is a source of air, soil and water pollution and climate impacts, with negative effects on biodiversity; recalls that nutrients are essential for agricultural production and for keeping healthy soils; urges Member States to put forward in their Strategic Plans measures promoting the efficient management and circularity of nutrients, as well strongly support education of farm advisors and farmers; stresses that improved management of nutrients presents both economic and environmental benefits;
Amendment 297 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 9 b (new)
Paragraph 9 b (new)
9b. Calls on the Commission to establish the appropriate regulatory framework to speed up the adoption of new plant health solutions, including plant protection products with a lower impact, such as low-risk substances or biosolutions;
Amendment 313 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Regrets the fact that agricultural production is being increasingly concentrated in a limited range of agricultural crops, varieties and genotypes; underlines that preserving genetic variability in all its components is crucial to promoting the diversity and richness of agricultural ecosystems and to the preservation of local genetic resources, in particular as a repository of solutions to help in facing the environmental and climatic challenges that lie ahead.
Amendment 317 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Draws attention to the fact that in perennial crops, such as the traditional European wine grape varieties of Vitis vinifera, the loss of diversity occurs also by loss of genetic diversity within the varieties themselves; regrets that the UE vegetative propagation systems are designed in a way that does not promote the conservation of intra-variety biodiversity; calls on the Commission to promote regulatory changes to the EU vegetative propagation regulations, encouraging “on farm” conservation of genetic variability of the traditional European varieties.
Amendment 318 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Calls on the Commission to develop ambitious, appropriate and renewed regulations and plans to prevent the incursion of invasive species into the different European territories and seas with comprehensive protocols, to prevent the entry of both plant and animal species, which can generate major negative impacts on biodiversity, but also on agriculture and fisheries, resulting in large economic losses, including the design of lines of action for the management of invasive species and the effects that they may cause in different ecosystems and sectors.
Amendment 325 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 b (new)
Paragraph 10 b (new)
10b. Underlines that the abandonment of agricultural fields affects between 10 and 50% of the agricultural land of the EU, which causes the loss of traditional landscapes, increases the risk of soil erosion and deteriorates habitats for numerous farmland species; recalls the fundamental role of the measures for Areas Facing Natural Constraints in avoiding land abandonment and maintaining human occupation in these areas, but also in forest fire prevention and in protecting specific ecosystems and natural resources, such as High Nature Value farmland areas.
Amendment 327 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 c (new)
Paragraph 10 c (new)
10c. Highlights the fundamental role of farm advisory systems in disseminating innovation and knowledge, stimulating the exchange of experiences, promoting practical demonstrations, in particular by working at local level to better adapt to the specific realities on the ground; calls on Member States to provide comprehensive advice to farmers on adopting production systems and management practices promoting biodiversity on farmland.
Amendment 331 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 d (new)
Paragraph 10 d (new)
10d. Underlines that research and innovation are key drivers in accelerating the transition to sustainable food systems notably by providing advanced knowledge enabling farmers to produce food with fewer inputs and to increase the delivery of the ecosystem services, while supporting a social and economic sustainable development; stresses that particular efforts are needed in the dissemination and exchange of knowledge to ensure broader and inclusive uptake by farmers.
Amendment 334 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10 e (new)
Paragraph 10 e (new)
10e. Considers that digital technologies can help European farmers to provide safe and quality food while helping preserving biodiversity and minimising the environmental impact of agriculture; stresses that work is needed to ensure that everyone benefits from the digitalization opportunities, by improving network connectivity in rural areas and by facilitating the implementation of digital agriculture in an inclusive manner, through training and rural extension that considers the farmers' culture and specific conditions.