Activities of Nicola CAPUTO related to 2015/2225(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Technological solutions for sustainable agriculture (A8-0174/2016 - Anthea McIntyre) IT
Amendments (18)
Amendment 31 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
C a. whereas sustainable agriculture requires the combination of environmental, social and economic criteria, for which technological solutions may be one important contributor;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas making farming more sustainable is becoming an ever more important objective for operators, given the need to control costs in order to safeguard incomes, on the one hand, and to enhance the protection of environmental resources, on the other;
Amendment 38 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas agricultural practices impact on the biological, chemical and physical quality of soils, with consequences over soil erosion and fertility;
Amendment 50 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
G a. whereas insufficient crop protection solutions for specialty crops endangers the quality, diversity and sustainable production of food crops in the EU, with serious consequences for employment and biodiversity loss, and a direct impact that has been estimated to account for more than €1 billion, including production loss and additional costs for farmers;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)
Recital H a (new)
H a. whereas the diversity and quality of plant genetic resources play a crucial role in agricultural resilience and productivity, thus being a determining factor for long- term farming as well as food security;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas the approvals process, including the criteria for defining new and existing active substances, is becoming increasingly challenging for EU agriculture, due in part to the lack of standard assessment criteria throughout the EU and the excessive administrative burden, both at EU level and at internal level in the individual Member States;
Amendment 77 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital L a (new)
Recital L a (new)
L a. whereas it is urgent to guarantee the efficient transfer of research findings from science to farmers;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 (new)
Takes the view that, if applied to conventional farming, the principles underpinning PF can generate significant benefits for the environment, increase farmers' incomes and rationalise the use of agricultural machinery;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Emphasises that precision irrigation can rationalise the use of water for irrigation, generating a 20% saving by comparison with traditional methods, and make irrigation significantly more efficient;
Amendment 104 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Welcomes the progress made by the European Space Agency (ESA) in developing PF; takes the view that the ESA's Sentinel 2B satellite, which is to be placed in orbit in late 2016, will give a very clear picture of the amount of land taken up by crops and forests, with the result that agricultural policies can be monitored and implemented more effectively, the use of water and fertilisers can be rationalised and optimum harvesting periods can be identified; calls on the Commission and the Member States to support the use of satellite-based systems which can, in the context of farming, optimise the use of resources, reduce energy costs and facilitate the work of farmers, while increasing productivity and generating benefits for the environment;
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses the need for greater dialogue between genetic banks, research, breeders and end-users in order to build resilience and support for sustainable food production throughout Europe;
Amendment 127 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Points out that the EU's seed banks contain a significant quantity of genetic material which could be used for plant research and to produce new varieties, in order to meet the challenges of sustainable farming;
Amendment 190 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls on the Commission to include in its report to Parliament and the Council options for amending and improving the current legislation, and in particular on the functioning of mutual recognition of authorisations and, the zonal evaluations process and authorisations for uses of secondary importance and minor crops;
Amendment 195 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Highlights the importance of assessing the benefits of active substances in supporting sustainable agriculture as well as the risk and hazards associated with the use of products, and recalls that the precautionary principle should be used when the degree of uncertainty is too high to ensure public health or good agricultural and environmental conditions;
Amendment 213 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Notes that a faster approvals process would increase the availability of low-risk PPPs and pesticides on the market, stimulate industry research into the development of new low- risk substances and enable farmersreduce the risk of the development of resistance to active ingredients, stimulate industry research into the development of new low- risk active ingredients, including new, innovative low-risk substances, thus ensuring farmers have sufficient plant- protection tools at their disposal and enabling them to switch more rapidly to sustainable PPPs;
Amendment 246 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27
Paragraph 27
27. Considers it essential for the Commission and the Member States to develop projects in line with the concept of 'conservation farming' which focus exclusively on the development of more resource- efficient crop varieties and the conservation and improvement of soil structure, especially given the increasing scarcity of water availability and certain key components of fertilisers such as phosphate;
Amendment 258 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)
Paragraph 28 a (new)
28 a. Welcomes the recently launched European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural productivity and Sustainability (EIP-AGRI), with the aim of linking research and practical farming, and calls on the Commission to have an active role in boosting coordination, at the national and cross-border level, in order to promote an explicit innovation agenda linked to Horizon 2020 and to guarantee the adequate transfer of knowledge towards the end users;
Amendment 260 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29
Paragraph 29
29. Encourages the Commission and the Member States to do more to raise public awareness of the value of farming in the EU, to develop Trans-European Centres for Agricultural Innovation that would delivermonstrate and deliver projects to bring about much needed progress towards food security and sovereignty and sustainability;