EU Commission wants exemption from environmental rule for farmers
Published: Wednesday, Jan 31st 2024, 17:20
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Farmers are on the barricades in the EU. They feel that they are disproportionately burdened by requirements from Brussels. The EU Commission now wants to make concessions to them.
It wants to relax an environmental requirement for farmers. The requirement that four percent of arable land must lie fallow or be used unproductively is to be suspended with retroactive effect from January 1, as the EU Commission announced on Wednesday.
This requirement is actually intended to protect the environment. Hedges in which birds can breed, for example, are considered unproductive use. In order for farmers to benefit from the proposed exception, they should in return cultivate nitrogen-fixing plants such as lentils or peas or catch crops on seven percent of their arable land.
The EU Commission is thus accommodating farmers who are currently protesting in numerous countries. There has also been criticism of the conditions imposed by Brussels, which farmers feel are too restrictive. "It is the first concrete political response to take account of farmers' income problems," said the authority. The EU member states still have to approve the plan in a committee meeting.
Decision lies with governments
The German Federal Minister of Agriculture, Cem Özdemir, had expressed criticism of such exemptions. In mid-2022, for example, the Green politician said that he considered exemptions for crop rotation rules to be more sensible.
In contrast to monocultures, crop rotations - i.e. the alternation of different plants on the field - are intended to protect the soil or make fewer pesticides necessary. Calculations by the Ministry of Agriculture have shown that significantly more grain can be harvested in this way.
Özdemir did not initially comment on the EU Commission's current proposals. Even if there is a majority among the EU states in favor of the proposal, Germany does not have to allow these exemptions. The decision lies with the national governments.
The nature conservation organization BUND sees the Commission's proposal as a cave-in. The authority is showing that it does not prioritize the protection of livelihoods. "We therefore call on Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir to reject this proposal in the Council." The environmental protection organization Nabu expressed similar sentiments. The FDP politician and Vice-President of the EU Parliament, Jan-Christoph Oetjen, on the other hand, called for the set-aside to be abolished altogether.
©Keystone/SDA
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