Farmers are on the barricades in the EU. They see themselves as being disproportionately burdened by requirements from Brussels. The EU Commission now wants to accommodate them.
The EU Commission wants to relax environmental regulations for farmers. The requirement that four percent of arable land must lie fallow or be used unproductively is to be suspended retroactively to January 1st, as the EU Commission announced.
The requirement is actually intended to protect the environment. Hedges in which birds can breed are considered unproductive use. In order for farmers to benefit from the proposed exception, they should in return grow nitrogen-fixing plants such as lentils or peas or catch crops on seven percent of their arable land.
“First concrete political response”
In this way, the EU Commission is accommodating farmers who are currently protesting in numerous countries – including Germany. There is also criticism of requirements from Brussels that see farmers as being too restricted. “It is the first concrete political response to address farmers’ income problems,” the authority said. The EU states still have to approve the project in a committee meeting.
Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir was critical of the relevant exceptions. In mid-2022, the Green politician said that he thought exceptions to crop rotation rules made more sense. In contrast to monocultures, crop rotations – i.e. the alternation of different plants in the field – are intended to protect the soil or require fewer pesticides. Calculations by the Ministry of Agriculture showed that significantly more grain can be harvested this way.
The decision lies with national governments
Özdemir initially did not comment on the EU Commission’s current proposals. The ministry said the proposal was now being examined. Even if there is a majority among the EU states in favor of the project, Germany does not have to allow these exceptions. The decision rests with the national governments.
The nature conservation organization BUND sees the Commission’s proposal as a caveat. The authority shows that it does not give priority to protecting livelihoods. “We therefore call on Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir to reject this proposal in the Council.” The environmental protection organization Nabu made a similar statement. The FDP politician and Vice President of the EU Parliament, Jan-Christoph Oetjen, however, called for the set-aside to be abolished completely.
Source: Stern
