Perhaps the most discussed topic next week in the European Parliament in Strasbourg will be the āFarm to Forkā strategy. The goal of this strategy is to reduce the ecological impact of the EU food system while simultaneously ensuring food security.
It is still unclear whether the plenary session of the EU Parliament will follow an earlier rather straightforward vote by the AGRI agricultural committee and the ENVI environmental committee. The environmental committee was almost entirely in favor, and there was also a small majority in the agricultural committee.
The Dutch members of those committees voted very split last month on the Farm to Fork strategy during the committee discussion. Jan Huitema (VVD), Mohammed Chahim (PvdA), and Anja Hazekamp (PvdD) voted in favor. The two CDA members Esther de Lange and Annie Schreijer-Pierik abstained, and Rob Rooken (JA21) and Bert-Jan Ruissen (SGP) voted against.
From earlier discussions, it has become clear that many MEPs find the plans too far-reaching, while others reject them because they consider them too non-binding. Additionally, the protest against āobligations in agricultureā is much stronger in agriculturally-oriented countries.
There is a possibility that large parts of the two major factions (Christian Democrats and Social Democrats) will abstain or vote against. It is already known that the conservative and right-wing groups oppose excessive climate and environmental demands. If only the full groups of united left, greens, and liberals support the food strategy, the question will be how small the support or how great the resistance will be in the plenary vote.
MEP Peter van Dalen (Christian Union) recently stated: āI wholeheartedly support this ambition (for less environmental pollution and healthier food), but I am also glad that impact assessments are included so that we are certain Europe will not shoot itself in the foot when it comes to food security.ā
The Dutch PvdA member Mohammed Chahim said: āWe must better organize the entire chain of our food supply, both for our health and for the climate. It is time to make our European food system more sustainable. Everyone has the right to healthy food that is sustainably produced at a fair price. The compromises currently on the table are balanced and will certainly contribute to this.ā
However, fierce campaigns against āenvironmental obligations in agricultureā continue until the last moment from agricultural EU countries and national and European agricultural groups. The absence of financial (income) security for farmers plays an important role here. The Commission states that a plan for such a significant future change cannot be calculated down to the last cent in advance.
Several āimpact assessmentsā show that less use of chemical agents in crop and livestock farming does lead to less environmental pollution, but also to tons less production, lower agricultural incomes, and higher food prices.
The overarching association of EU farmers and cooperatives (COPA-COGECA) hopes that the studies will lead to the rejection of the Farm to Fork strategyās objectives.