Activities of Michel DANTIN related to 2017/2116(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
A European strategy for the promotion of protein crops (short presentation) FR
Amendments (34)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 (new)
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1. A. whereas, historically, the European deficit in protein crops dates back to old international trade agreements, especially with the United States, which allowed the European Community to protect its cereal production but in return allowed duty-free imports of protein crops and oilseeds into the Union (GATT and 1992 Blair House Agreement); whereas this was accompanied by significant progress in the efficiency of protein crop production in third countries, leading to a competitive disadvantage for EU farmers, for whom protein crop production is not sufficiently attractive from an economic point of view;
Amendment 2 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 a (new)
Paragraph -1 a (new)
-1a. B. whereas, consequently, the Union devotes only 3% of its arable land to protein crops and imports more than 75% of its vegetable protein supply, mainly from Brazil, Argentina and the United States;
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 b (new)
Paragraph -1 b (new)
-1b. C. whereas total European production of protein-rich matter rose from 24.2 to 36.3 million tonnes (+50%) between 1994 and 2014, but whereas at the same time consumption increased from 39.7 million tonnes to 57.1 million tonnes (+44%); whereas the Union’s overall deficit (20.8 tonnes in 2014) is therefore increasing;
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A (new)
Recital -A (new)
-A. whereas, historically, the European deficit in protein crops dates back to old international trade agreements, especially with the United States, which allowed the European Community to protect its cereal production but in return allowed duty-free imports of protein crops and oilseeds into the Union (GATT and 1992 Blair House Agreement); whereas this was accompanied by significant progress in the efficiency of protein crop production in third countries, leading to a competitive disadvantage for EU farmers, for whom protein crop production is not sufficiently attractive from an economic point of view;
Amendment 4 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 c (new)
Paragraph -1 c (new)
-1c. D. whereas crops from Brazil, Argentina and the United States are not subject to the same environmental, health, regulatory and GMO-related constraints as European crops;
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A a (new)
Recital -A a (new)
-Aa. whereas, consequently, the Union devotes only 3% of its arable land to protein crops and imports more than 75% of its vegetable protein supply, mainly from Brazil, Argentina and the United States;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 d (new)
Paragraph -1 d (new)
-1d. E. whereas legal certainty and the stability and coherence of European public policies are an essential part of any credible long-term protein strategy;
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A b (new)
Recital -A b (new)
-Ab. whereas total European production of protein-rich matter rose from 24.2 to 36.3 million tonnes (+50%) between 1994 and 2014, but whereas at the same time consumption increased from 39.7 million tonnes to 57.1 million tonnes (+44%); whereas the Union’s overall deficit (20.8 tonnes in 2014) is therefore increasing;
Amendment 6 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 e (new)
Paragraph -1 e (new)
-1e. F. whereas in recent decades the Union has used three main levers to support the objective of European protein independence, namely voluntary coupled aid for protein and oilseed crops, EU biofuel policy and the conditionality of 30% of direct support introduced by the last reform of the Common Agricultural Policy in relation to the implementation of greening measures, including the obligation to devote 5% of arable land to ecological focus areas (EFAs) and the decision to allow nitrogen-fixing crops and catch crops;
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A c (new)
Recital -A c (new)
-Ac. whereas livestock sectors in the Union are extremely sensitive to price volatility and distortion of competition and are dependent on imports of affordable and high quality vegetable protein, which poses a real challenge for European farms;
Amendment 7 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 f (new)
Paragraph -1 f (new)
-1f. G. whereas over the period 2000- 2013 the measures introduced by the CAP did not by themselves succeed in reversing the declining trend or stagnation in protein production in Europe, but whereas since 2013 the combination of such support together with the ‘greening’ measure authorising the cultivation of protein crops in ecological focus areas has been a decisive factor in a return to growth in the area and production of proteins in Europe;
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 g (new)
Paragraph -1 g (new)
-1g. H. whereas protein crop cultivation can participate fully in the circular economy by producing, on the one hand, meal used in animal feed and, on the other hand, vegetable oils or other by-products used in biofuels; whereas the production of rapeseed meal has doubled since 2004, with 9.3 million tonnes being directly attributable to biofuel production in the EU;
Amendment 9 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 h (new)
Paragraph -1 h (new)
-1h. I. whereas, owing to the small share of protein crop cultivation in the EU, the number of vegetable protein research programmes is falling, matched by a decline in training, innovation and the acquisition of practical experience in the EU; whereas a research policy is only likely to succeed if it is backed by medium- to long-term political commitments;
Amendment 10 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Believes that the promotion of protein crop cultivation is a powerful tool in the transition towards more sustainable agri-food systems, supporting a shift from input-intensive crop monoculture towards diversified agro-ecological systems, and can help to re-establish a favourable environment and increase pollinator dietary sources, which are an essential part of biodiversity;
Amendment 35 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. NotBelieves that protein crops haverebalancing protein crop supply and demand in the EU internal market has not only economic benefits for farmers and producers of animal feed and food for consumers, but also a wide range of environmental and climatic benefits, such as being able to fix nitrogen from the atmosphere, using less fossil fuel-based fertilisers, improving soil properties, improving water resource management, reducing disease levels and protecting biodiversity;
Amendment 46 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recalls that the EU relies on massive imports of protein-rich feed materials, for the most part genetically modified soya, which may give rise to serious environmental problems in source countries and also have a significant carbon footprint;
Amendment 48 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas in recent years China has become the world’s largest importer of soya and has launched a genuine and non- transparent security of supply strategy for itself which could threaten our own supplies tomorrow and endanger the stability of the markets of the Union;
Amendment 70 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recalls that the CAP has a decisive impact on farmers’ decisions to grow protein crops and should therefore be used to its full potentialcalls on the Member States to make full use of the support available under voluntary coupled aid (11% of EU aid covering 4.3 million hectares in 16 Member States);
Amendment 79 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Believes that once it has been in force for a few years, useful lessons should be learnt from the recent ban on the use of pesticides in ecological focus areas, even though, in 2016, they accounted for 15% of Europe’s arable land (8 million hectares) and almost 40% of these areas are used for nitrogen-fixing or catch crops; stresses that farmers are now faced with a dilemma between bearing the cost of starting and continuing to grow these crops without the assurance of being able to react to pest invasions, or reducing the share of ecological focus areas to what is strictly required under the rules, or choosing to leave them uncultivated;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I
Recital I
I. whereas there is a need today for a strategic, effective and ambitious protein supply plan to be implemented for the sustainable development of European agriculture; whereas such a plan requires the mobilisation of several EU policies, first and foremost the CAP; whereas legal certainty and the stability and coherence of European public policies are essential parts of any credible long-term protein strategy;
Amendment 86 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Welcomes the fact that, in the context of the omnibus revision of the Common Agricultural Policy, Parliament obtained a revaluation of the conversion coefficient for nitrogen-fixing crops from 0.7 to 1 in compensation for the ban on the use of pesticides in ecological focus areas;
Amendment 86 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)
Recital I a (new)
Ia. whereas in recent decades the Union has used three main levers to support the objective of European protein independence, namely voluntary coupled aid for protein and oilseed crops, EU biofuel policy and the conditionality of 30% of direct support introduced by the last reform of the Common Agricultural Policy in relation to the implementation of greening measures, including the obligation to devote 5% of arable land to ecological focus areas (EFAs) and the decision to allow nitrogen-fixing crops and catch crops;
Amendment 88 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Recalls that the by-products of food and bio-fuel production and certain processed animal proteins represent important alternative sources of proteins for feed; stresses that biofuels form part of a circular economy when they are manufactured from by-products, waste or residues, take up a small proportion of farmland, are beneficial with regard to crop rotation and diversification and to making use of fallow land in accordance with the green measures under the CAP and do not, on their own, cause food prices to go up;
Amendment 90 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital I b (new)
Recital I b (new)
Ib. whereas over the period 2000-2013 the measures introduced by the CAP did not by themselves succeed in reversing the declining trend or stagnation in protein production in Europe, but whereas since 2013 the combination of such support together with the ‘greening’ measure authorising the cultivation of protein crops in ecological focus areas has been a decisive factor in a return to growth in the area and production of proteins in Europe;
Amendment 93 #
Ic. whereas protein crop cultivation can participate fully in the circular economy by producing, on the one hand, meal used in animal feed and, on the other hand, vegetable oils or other by- products used in biofuels; whereas the production of rapeseed meal has doubled since 2004, with 9.3 million tonnes being directly attributable to biofuel production in the EU;
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas the proteins research policy should be stepped up and extended over the, owing to the small share of protein crop cultivation in the EU, the number of vegetable protein research programmes is falling, matched by a decline in training, innovation and the acquisition of practical experience in the EU; whereas the proteins research policy should be stepped up but would only succeed if it is backed by medium- to long -term political commitments;
Amendment 109 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Stresses the need for heavy investment in research to solve the pressing agronomic issues that are limiting protein crop cultivation, including varietal research, to improve the technical performance of these crops and solve the pressing agronomic issues that are limiting protein crop cultivation, such as the stabilisation of yields in the face of changes in climatic conditions;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Takes the view that it is time to implement a major strategic European vegetable protein supply plan based on the sustainable development of all the crops grown throughout the EU; further takes the view that this change implies a substantial alteration of our production systems to meet the requirements of the circular economy and of agroecology; sustainable farming production;
Amendment 251 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Calls for heavy investment in research, including varietal research, to improve the technical performance of these crops and solve the pressing agronomic issues that are limiting protein crop cultivation, such as the stabilisation of yields in the face of changes in climatic conditions;
Amendment 261 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Takes the view that this plan calls for the mobilisation and coordination of several EU policies: the CAP, research policy, environmental and climate action policy; the neighbourhood policy and trade policy;
Amendment 283 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Calls on the Member States to make full use of the support available under voluntary coupled aid, as currently only 16 Member States made use of such possibility (11% of EU aid covering 4.3 million hectares);
Amendment 286 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Believes that useful lessons should be learnt from the recent ban on the use of pesticides in Ecological Focus Areas, even though, in 2016, they accounted for15 % of Europe’s arable land (8 million hectares) and almost 40% of these areas are used for nitrogen-fixing or catch crops; stresses that farmers are now faced with a dilemma between bearing the cost of starting and continuing to grow these crops without the assurance of being able to react to pest invasions, or reducing the share of ecological focus areas to what is strictly required under the rules, or choosing to leave them uncultivated;
Amendment 289 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 c (new)
Paragraph 18 c (new)
18c. Welcomes the fact that, in the context of the omnibus revision of the Common Agricultural Policy, Parliament obtained a revaluation of the conversion coefficient for nitrogen-fixing crops from 0.7 to 1 in compensation for the ban on the use of pesticides in Ecological Focus Areas;
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 d (new)
Paragraph 18 d (new)
18d. Stresses that biofuels form part of a circular economy when they are manufactured from by-products, waste or residues, take up a small proportion of farmland, are beneficial with regard to crop rotation and diversification and to making use of fallow land in accordance with the green measures under the CAP and do not, on their own, cause food prices to go up;