The new mandatory crop rotation on fields, which was supposed to start next year, is likely to be postponed. The European Commission and the 27 EU countries support the German proposal to delay that part of the Green Deal by one year. Additionally, the already postponed mandatory set-aside requirement will be extended by another year.
EU Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski said on Tuesday evening in Brussels, following the Ministry of Agriculture meeting, that he supports further postponement and that the EU administration is now investigating the matter. The German minister Cem Özdemir (Greens), who had already asked the European Commission for this last month, presented his proposal during the meeting.
The crop rotation rule (changing crops on a plot from one year to the next to protect soil condition and biodiversity) was to take effect in January 2023. It is one of the conditions for farmers to receive direct support under the new agricultural policy.
During a press conference afterward, Wojciechowski indicated that a "majority of member states are in favor" of this temporary exemption. "We are considering it; no decision has been made yet," he continued.
"It is not necessarily ideal," Wojciechowski admitted, pointing out that "in general, crop rotation is an important agricultural practice that must be maintained." He did not respond to reporters’ questions about the recent new letter from MEPs of the agriculture committee, which also pleaded for relaxation of the Green Deal criteria in agricultural policy.
"It is becoming increasingly clear that destabilization caused by the attack on the food supply" by Russia "is one of the instruments and objectives of this war," Wojciechowski said. "We must preserve our production potential and guarantee food security," he added.
Transport Commissioner Adina Vălean told the agriculture ministers that at least 20-25 million tons of wheat must be exported from Ukraine over the next three months. "Freeing up storage capacity is the immediate priority in Ukraine, but also in the EU," she said.
The Transport Commissioner presented an update of the EU strategy to facilitate grain exports from Ukraine via ‘green corridors.’ "Before the war, Ukraine exported up to 5 million tons of wheat per month through ports on the Black Sea. This now has to be redirected to railways, roads, and inland waterways, and then to EU ports for further export to global markets," she stated.