Due to the Russian war against Ukraine, Ukrainian grain production threatens to be significantly lower this and next season. This leads to a risk of food shortages and high food prices in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.
That is why the 'greening' of European agricultural policy must be stopped, say SGP MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen and SGP Member of Parliament Roelof Bisschop.
The sanctions against Russia and Belarus also mean that imports of raw materials for fertilizers are no longer available. “That threatens to lower agricultural production. Now is the time to make room for fertilizer substitutes (mineral concentrate from animal manure). And preferably structurally, the SGP'ers say in a ten-point plan.
In that plan they propose that the mandatory set-aside of agricultural land and buffer strips (under the new CAP policy) should be postponed, and that the introduction of organic farming should be suspended and reconsidered. The impending ban on the use of chemical pesticides must also be postponed, according to the SGP members. In addition, they believe that European emergency funds should be opened up to farmers and farmers.
The SGP'ers think 'that' our farmers can make up for part of the food shortages, but then they must quickly be given that opportunity from the government', says Roelof Bisschop. The two politicians are targeting both the European and Dutch governments. “Special circumstances call for special measures,” says MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen. “We must always be able to guarantee sufficient affordable food for our population. This is not the time to further throttle agriculture, but the opposite.”
With their proposals, the SGP groups in Strasbourg and The Hague are trying to reverse (or postpone) the decisions taken over the past two years on renewing European agricultural policy. Partly due to the stricter climate policy, European agriculture will have to 'greenify' considerably in the coming years, still to the great dissatisfaction of the conservative and right-wing groups in the European Parliament.