The chairman of the Irish dairy organization ICMSA says there is 'a hole in the heart' of the European farm-to-fork strategy. The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) states that a recent EU study by the research center JRC reveals such a flaw.
The JRC study focused primarily on reducing CO2 air pollution and concluded that the Green Deal is likely to reduce emissions by nearly 30%.
However, almost half of those environmental gains will be lost if food production shifts from EU countries to other, less environmentally friendly countries, a phenomenon known as 'carbon leakage.'
“This is the hole in the heart of the EU strategy. The Green Deal and farm-to-fork only make sense if we refuse to import food from countries with lower environmental standards than our own,” the Irish dairy chief added, emphasizing that European farmers need a firm commitment from the EU that cheaper food imports will not be allowed.
The Irish agricultural organization said that F2F will also lead to a reduction in income for EU farmers because they will produce less due to restrictions on or the absence of chemical inputs.
The JRC research center emphasizes that the scenario study is surrounded by many uncertainties. Agricultural economist Petra Berkhout (WUR) pointed out that a calculation model is always a limited representation of reality. Additionally, no consideration was given to changes in consumer purchasing behavior or the trade policies of other trade blocs.