Activities of Colm MARKEY related to 2020/2260(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Farm to Fork Strategy (debate)
Amendments (15)
Amendment 262 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas European farmers uphold some of the highest environmental standards globally;
Amendment 501 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the farm to fork strategy as an important step in ensuring a sustainable, fair and resilient food system, which is central to achieving the goals set out in the European Green Deal and in the SDGs; emphasises the inextricable links between healthy people, healthy societies and a healthy planet,; encourages the Commission to translateconduct clear, objective impact assessments with cooperation, consultation and collaboration with Member States before translating the strategy into concrete legislative and non- legislative action as soon as possible;
Amendment 619 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Calls for the impact assessments to be conducted to ensure that the strategy does not have any unintended consequences such as to: undermine the viability of organic producers by saturating the market, which requires a premium price to compensate for productivity reductions; lead to a significant reduction in food production, threatening food security; facilitate the substitution of EU produce with food produced in third countries to a lower standard; lead to a loss in global biodiversity by facilitating deforestation to meet the EU's food needs; lead to biosecurity issues resulting from a reduction in the effective control of pests and diseases;
Amendment 735 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
Amendment 798 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Stresses that precision farming should be explicitly encouraged and promoted as a tool to help optimise the use of pesticide usage, as well as a way to achieve the Green Deal objectives; emphasises that farmers should be supported to adopt farm management, and more specifically crop production management tools, which enable growers to use crop protection and fertilisers as well as other inputs, such as water, in more a targeted manner;
Amendment 837 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Encourages the use of natural substances, such as clover that naturally fixes its own nitrogen from the air and lime that reduces acidity and improves nutrient management, as well of demonstrated ways to reduce the use of chemical fertiliser inputs in organic, extensive and intensive agriculture;
Amendment 925 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Emphasises the importance of recognising the significant impact of agriculture and especially animal productionimpact of intensive agriculture on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and land use; stresses the need to enhance natural carbon sinks and reduce agricultural emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, in particular in the feed and livestock sectors; calls for regulatory measures and targets to ensure progressive reductions in all GHG emissions in these sectors; highlights the active engagement of the agricultural sector in climate action and recognises the full potential of hedgerows, woodlands and grasslands to act as a carbon sink; calls for the development of nutrient management systems and innovative dietary solutions to reduce methane emissions in the livestock sector and for methods to calculate the true impact of methane on the environment to be developed in light of more recent research on the lifecycle of methane;
Amendment 973 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Expresses its support for the market sensitive uptake of organic farming;
Amendment 976 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Notes that organic farming practices have lower yields than conventional farming methods; insists that measures to encourage the uptake of organic farming should not result in the displacement of agricultural production to third countries;
Amendment 1027 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Points out that extensive and permanent grassland-based or organic animal husbandry is a feature of the European food system and a defining element of many traditional rural communities and livelihoods, and that it has multiple positive effects for the environment and against climate change, and contributes to a circular economy;
Amendment 1078 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Welcomes the notion of rewarding carbon sequestration in soils; stresses, however, that intensive and industrial agriculture and farming models with negative impacts on biodiversity should notbe required to significantly improve their environmental impact in order to receive climate funding orand should be incentivised to move towards a more sustainable farming model; notes that the carbon sequestration capacity of both grassland and hedgerows needs to be fully recognised and rewarded; calls for the proposals to be in line with the environmental objectives and the ‘'do no harm’' principle of the Green Deal;
Amendment 1219 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls for CAP National Strategic Plans to ensure adequate financial support and incentives to promote new ecological ‘green’ business models for agriculture and artisanal food production, notably through fostering short supply chains and quality food production, operating in accordance with the principles of the single market, and quality food production; while noting that short supply chains do not always correspond with the most positive environmental impact; stresses that priority should be given to environmental impact over length of supply chain in this regard;
Amendment 1568 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Urges the review of the EU promotion programme for agricultural and food products, including the EU school scheme, with a view to enhancing its contribution to sustainable production and consumption, notably by focusing on educational messages about the importance of healthy nutrition andincluding promoting greater consumption of fruit and vegetables with the aim of reducing obesity rates;
Amendment 1905 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Highlights the recognition in the strategy that Europeans’ diets are not in line with recommendations for healthy eating, and that a population-wide shift in consumption patterns is needed towards a more healthy and plant-based foods and less red and processed meat, sugars, salt, and fats, which will also benefit the environbalanced diet that includes fruit, vegetables, grains, dairy, fish and menat; emphasises that EU-wide guidelines for sustainable and healthy diets would bring clarity to consumers on what constitutes a healthy and sustainable diet and inform Member States’ own efforts to integrate sustainability elements in national dietary advice; calls on the Commission to develop such guidelines and specific actions to effectively promote healthy plant-basbalanced diets;
Amendment 1991 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Calls for a revision of public procurement legislation, including minimum mandatory criteria in schools and other public institutions to encourage organic and local food production and to promote more healthy and balanced diets by creating a food environment that enables consumers to make the healthy choice;