The European Union and the United States have announced the establishment of a new platform to promote sustainable agriculture on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean in order to combat climate change
“Today we begin a new chapter in the cooperation between the European Union and the United States,” said European Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski and US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack in a joint statement following their meeting yesterday in Brussels.
The platform is intended to facilitate the exchange of knowledge and information between both sides of the Atlantic to promote “sustainable and climate-smart agricultural production.” The joint concluding statement does not explicitly mention food security, biodiversity, or the new European Farm to Fork (F2F) food strategy.
Last week it became clear that the US Secretary of Agriculture rejects the European F2F philosophy because it imposes restrictions and bans on the use of chemical pesticides in agriculture. The US also disagrees with the EU ban on genetic modification of crops and food products.
In the United States, agriculture, livestock farming, or the meat industry are not seen as major contributors to CO2 pollution; instead, the flaring oil and petrochemical industry is regarded as the largest carbon polluter.
Wojciechowski and Vilsack noted that “climate change is already having profound effects on the livelihoods of our farmers,” with impacts ranging from “severe drought” to “flooding, wildfires, and other catastrophic events.”
“International cooperation to tackle climate change and promote sustainability is essential to mitigate the harsh and difficult future that lies ahead of us,” they said in an announcement coinciding with the opening of the climate summit being held in Glasgow (Scotland).
In that regard, they assured that “the EU and the US are committed at a global level to improving and sustainable production” in order to “alleviate poverty and hunger, protect our environment, and address climate change.”
Brussels and Washington promised to work together to “design systems and solutions that are good” for agricultural producers, consumers, and businesses, including “fair and open local, regional and international markets that improve food safety and security, sustainable food.”