Activities of Nicola CAPUTO related to 2018/2037(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
The future of food and farming (A8-0178/2018 - Herbert Dorfmann) IT
Shadow opinions (1)
OPINION on the future of food and farming
Amendments (69)
Amendment 3 #
Draft opinion
Citation -1 (new)
Citation -1 (new)
– having regard to the European Court of Auditors Special reports Nos 4/2014 entitled "Integration of EU water policy objectives with the CAP: a partial success" and 21/2017 entitled "Greening: a more complex income support scheme, not yet environmentally effective",
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas the contribution of CAP is also important to achieve EU soil, climate and biodiversity targets;
Amendment 5 #
Draft opinion
Citation -1 a (new)
Citation -1 a (new)
– having regard to the Commission's staff working document (SWD(2017)153 final) on "Agriculture and Sustainable Water Management in the EU",
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 a (new)
Citation 4 a (new)
– having regard to the European Court of Auditors Special report (No 4/2014) entitled “Integration of EU water policy objectives with the CAP: a partial success”,
Amendment 8 #
Draft opinion
Citation -1 a (new)
Citation -1 a (new)
– having regard to Directive 2009/128/EC on the sustainable use of pesticides and the report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on Member State National Action Plans and on progress in the implementation of Directive 2009/128/EC on the sustainable use of pesticides,
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 b (new)
Citation 4 b (new)
– having regard to Directive 2009/128/EC on the sustainable use of pesticides and the report from the Commission to the European Parliament and the Council on Member State National Action Plans and on progress in the implementation of Directive 2009/128/EC on the sustainable use of pesticides,
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 4 c (new)
Citation 4 c (new)
– having regard to the Commission communication of 27 May 2016 entitled “Delivering the benefits of EU environmental policies through a regular Environmental Implementation Review”,
Amendment 13 #
Draft opinion
Citation -1 a (new)
Citation -1 a (new)
– having regard to the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI) "Ban glyphosate and protect people and the environment from toxic pesticides",
Amendment 23 #
Draft opinion
Citation -1 a (new)
Citation -1 a (new)
– having regard to the Environmental Implementation Review (EIR), announced in 2016 (COM(2016)316 final), which is a tool to help deliver the benefits of EU environmental law and policies for businesses and citizens through better implementation,
Amendment 26 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 9 a (new)
Citation 9 a (new)
– having regard to the European Citizens’ Initiative (ECI) “Ban glyphosate and protect people and the environment from toxic pesticides”,
Amendment 38 #
Draft opinion
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
A a. whereas the intensification of agricultural systems has put significant pressure on the environment, contributing to the decline of 55% of farmland birds over the past three decades, the decline of pollinators and insects, the poor status of grasslands with 80% of them in unfavourable conservation status, along with the continued loss of soil functions and increase in water pollution;
Amendment 55 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the Commission’s communication on the Future of Food and Farming acknowledges that the common agricultural policy (CAP) is the most integrated policy in the EU and is enabling the EU farming sector to respond to citizens’ demands regarding not only food security, safety, quality and sustainability, but also environmental care, climate change action, health and high animal welfare standards;
Amendment 57 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. believes that setting a possible limit to direct payments, the so-called "Capping", can not be left to the discretion of each Member States, but must be established at European level;
Amendment 58 #
Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas it is essential to ensure a fair standard of living across regions and Member States, affordable prices for citizens and consumers, and access to quality food and healthy diets, while delivering on the commitments for environmental care, climate action, and animal and plant health and welfare;
Amendment 60 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3 b. suggests to introduce degressive payments to reduce the support for larger farms and focus on a redistributive payment in order to be able to provide support in a targeted manner (e.g. to small-medium sized farms);
Amendment 61 #
Draft opinion
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas the European agriculture is highly impacted by climate change, but can also contribute to climate change mitigation by reducing greenhouse gas emission and by sequestering carbon;
Amendment 85 #
Draft opinion
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the greening measures are complex and inefficientin the current CAP did not reach their full potential;
Amendment 93 #
Draft opinion
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas the European Court of Auditors has underlined the fact that the green payments introduced as part of the 2013 reform create added complexity and bureaucracy, are difficult to understand, and fail to significantly enhance the CAP’s environmental and climate performance;
Amendment 94 #
Draft opinion
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
D a. whereas intensive farming practices lead to dramatic losses of soils and wildlife, to pollution of freshwater resources, to overexploitation of groundwater, and to air pollution and whereas well designed policy instruments could participate to mitigate such negative impacts;
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas the new delivery model (NDM) is, at the core of the Commission’s communication on the Future of Food and Farming, andinvolves many uncertainties regarding its implementation and mighto be welcomed, provided that it does not lead to the renationalization of the CAP, does not damage the proper functioning of the single market and ensures genuine simplification, not only at EU level but also at Member State and regional level, and flexibility for farmers, without adding new constraints on Member States and thus a new layer of complexity;
Amendment 145 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1 a. Recognises that agro-ecological practices such as agroforestry can play an important role in this regard;
Amendment 147 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 b (new)
Paragraph 1 b (new)
1 b. Calls on the Commission to introduce a new and comprehensive legal framework which allows a coherent implementation of environmental and climate actions such as greening, cross- compliance (which includes the good agricultural and environmental conditions –GAECs – and statutory management requirements – SMRs), as well as agri-environment-climate measures – AECMs – for rural development, so that farmers can deliver more efficiently and in a simpler and more targeted manner on environmental care, biodiversity and climate action, while ensuring that Member States have adequate control and taking into account local conditions; stresses the need to ensure a clear separation of measures under Pillar I and Pillar II;
Amendment 154 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Paragraph 1 c (new)
Amendment 169 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2 a. Strongly believes that the conditionality between direct payments and greening measures needs to be maintained in order to ensure a more sustainable European agricultural sector, and calls for a new voluntary incentive scheme for farmers willing to go beyond the current agro-environmental measures;
Amendment 183 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3 a. Calls for at least 50% of the CAP budget to be ring-fenced for environment and climate measures, in particular, with dedicated earmarking for biodiversity of at least 15 billion Euros per year;
Amendment 202 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4 a. Recalls that the future CAP needs to encourage farmers to serve society as a whole by introducing or continuing to apply agricultural production methods that are compatible with environment protection and presevation of landscapes, soils, natural ressources and genetic diversity;
Amendment 217 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Asks the Commission to ensure effective and realistic monitoring schemes, based on robust and scientific sampling methodologies to track progress on all objectives and to ensure financial sanctions where Member States cannot show sufficient effort to achieve the CAP objectives;
Amendment 219 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5 a. Underlines the importance of pollination and of biodiversity preservation; calls on the Commission and on Member States to set aside pesticide free areas in order to prevent bee mortality related to pesticides use;
Amendment 231 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas while the focus on research and development for both product and process innovation is to be welcomed, more must be done to translate the results of research into farming practice, facilitated by EU-wide agricultural extensionand to promote a multi-actor approach where the farmers are at its centre, facilitated by EU-wide agricultural extension services and by knowledge exchange and training services;
Amendment 237 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6 a. Stresses the importance of short supply chains and local food markets and calls on the Commission to incentivise local food marketing as it involves less emissions and guarantees better traceability;
Amendment 241 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6 b. Recalls the strategic importance of research and innovation and calls for better synergy between CAP objectives and Horizon 2020 objectives in the areas of food production, sustainable management of resources and climate action;
Amendment 254 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Stresses that respect for sustainable agricultural production, the precautionary principle on which EU food safety regulations are based, the farm-to- fork approach, reciprocity and the strict preservation of EU sanitary and phytosanitary standards and procedures on human and animal health and food safety, as defined under EU legislation, are fundamental and unshakable tenets of all EU Free Trade Agreements' negotiations for European agriculture;
Amendment 256 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Underlines the challenges posed to animal and human health from antimicrobial resistance; believes that the new legal framework should actively promote higher animal health and welfare as means to combating antibiotic resistance, thereby better protecting public health and the farming sector as a whole.
Amendment 259 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7 a. Acknowledges the relevance of involving in the CAP decision-making process institutions and experts responsible for health and environmental policies affecting biodiversity, climate change, air, soil and water pollution;
Amendment 261 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7 b. Believes that this new framework should be underpinned by the possible allocation of a minimum amount of the total available budget to AEMs, including organic agriculture, support for biodiversity, high animal health and welfare, and good plant health;
Amendment 290 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital M
Recital M
M. whereas the objectives of the Cork 2.0 Declaration for a Better Life in Rural Areas stipulate vibrant rural areas, multi- functionality, biodiversity in and outside agriculture, rare animal breeds and conservation crops, as well as organic agriculture, less-favoured areas and commitments in the context of Natura 2000, as well as the role of young people and women in rural development;
Amendment 401 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Considers that subsidiarity for Member States should only be granted within a common set of rules and tools agreed at EU level as part of a uniform approach to all programming efforts and eligibility criteria, should cover botBelieves that the additional subsidiarity should be granted only on condition that there are: a strong common set of rules, objectives and indicators concerning the main types of possible intervention tools and the criteria for the selection of measures Member States will be able to apply in their national operational plans, in order to ensure a uniform approach of the CAP’stwo pillars and ensure, in particular, a European approach in Pillar I and thus a level playing field;of the CAP throughout the Union, and for Pillar I in particular to guarantee the respect of conditions of fair competition.
Amendment 426 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Welcomes the greater responsibility of Member States in the implementation of the CAP , in order to make it more effective and better adapted to the realities of Europe's different agricultural models, provided that the CAP retains its common character and avoids distortions of competition between Member States;
Amendment 456 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Welcomes the efforts of the Commission to establish programme design, implementation and control of an output-bas results-oriented approach in order to foster performance rather than compliance, while ensuring adequate monitoring via clearly defined, solid and measurable indicators at EU level, including an appropriate system of quality control and penalties;
Amendment 533 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Considers it necessary to maintain the current two-pillared architecture, particularly Pillar I, which is dedicated to income support for farmers; considers it necessary, at the same time, to compensate for the provision of public goods on the basis of uniformcommon, uniform objectives and criteria, while allowing Member States to take specific approaches to reflect local conditions;
Amendment 570 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Considers that the current CAP architecture can onlyCAP can deliver its objectives only if sufficiently funded; calls, therefore, for the CAP budget to be maintained in the next MFF at and thus calls for maintaining in constant euros the CAP budget in the MFF at least athe current levels in order to achieve the ambitions of a revised and efficient CAP beyondafter 2020;
Amendment 606 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Believes that more targeted support for family farms is necessary and can be achieved by introducing a compulsory higher support rate for small farms; considers, moreover, that support for larger farms should be digressive, reflecting economies of scale, with the possibility for capping to be decided by the Member Stateat European level, with flexibility criteria to take into account labour to avoid negative effects on jobs;
Amendment 636 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Believes that it is essential to ensure that support is targeted to genuine farmers, focusing on those who are actively farming in order to earn their living;
Amendment 655 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Underlines the necessity of identifying the key elements of a transparent and, simple, objective system of penalties and incentives for determining farmers’ eligibility for public funding, which should consist of voluntary and mandatory measuresand operational system determining farmers’ eligibility for support and of proportional penalties in case of non-compliance;
Amendment 767 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Believes that, provided that a level playing field in the sSingle mMarket can beis guaranteed, vVoluntary cCoupled sSupport (VCS) payments should be maintained, as a tool to counteract specific difficulties, particularly those arising from the structural competitive disadvantage of less-favoured and mountainond reinforced, not only to prevent the loss of certain sectors on areas with specific difficulties but also as a tool to promote strategic productions, as protein crops, in the future, and with an yearly review to determine which sectors and productions should continue to receive support, as provided for in the Omnibus rRegulations, as well as thosein order to counter impacts which are more temporary in nature, and ariserising, for example, from a shift away from the oldcurrent entitlement scheme, for example or to compensate for the effects of Free Trade Agreements;
Amendment 845 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Recommends that the support to the "Young Farmer Scheme" should continue by increasing the maximum level of national funding allocation beyond 2 % for compulsory payments under the first pillar and by increasing the support rate under the second pillar in order to encourage generational renewal;
Amendment 862 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15b. Proposes making it mandatory for Member States to implement as part of their rural development programmes start-up support measures for young farmers (young farmer grants) and measures to support farm modernisation, as provided for under the second pillar of the CAP, in order to enhance the financial support for people taking up farming;
Amendment 868 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 c (new)
Paragraph 15 c (new)
15c. Recommends that access to finance be improved through subsidised interest rates on loans for new entrants;
Amendment 875 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 d (new)
Paragraph 15 d (new)
15d. Calls for improved cooperation with the EIB and the European Investment Fund (EIF) to foster the creation of financial instruments dedicated to young farmers across all Member States;
Amendment 886 #
16. Underlines the importance of rural development, including the LEADER initiative, in supporting multi-functional agriculture and, in fostering the investments and innovation, additional entrepreneurial activities and opportunities, in order to generate income from agri- tourism, and to secure community- supported agriculture and the provision of social services in rural areaand in enhancing the provision of environmental and climate actions;
Amendment 910 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16 a (new)
Paragraph 16 a (new)
16a. Underlines that rural development provides opportunities to generate income from agri-tourism and to secure community-supported agriculture and the provision of social services in rural areas;
Amendment 929 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Calls on the Commission to introduce a new and comprehensive legal framework which allows the integration of the various types of environmental actions at pa coherent implementation of environmental and climate actions such as gresent, such asing, cross- compliance, greening and (which includes the good agricultural and environmental conditions (– GAEC) standardss – and statutory management requirements – SMRs), as well as agri- environment-climate measures (– AECMs) – for rural development, so that farmers can deliver effectively and with less bureaucracymore efficiently and in a simpler and more targeted manner on environmental care, biodiversity and climate action, while ensuring that Member States have adequate control and taking into account local conditions;
Amendment 961 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Considers that the Commission's future legislative proposals should be able to support the largest number of farmers in their efforts to modernize towards more sustainable agricultural development;
Amendment 962 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Calls for development of a specific measure within rural development to encourage serious pesticide use reductions, based around the European Union's eight principles of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and encouraging uptakes of non-chemical alternatives;
Amendment 964 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Stresses the need to ensure a clear separation of measures under Pillar I and Pillar II;
Amendment 969 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 b (new)
Paragraph 17 b (new)
17b. Considers that this ambition for the CAP must be based on a first level corresponding to a simplified and reinforced conditionality and constituting a common base applicable to all farms, and on a second level to go beyond conditionality and including both the current climate and environmental measures of the second pillar and a new European incentive scheme in the first pillar;
Amendment 979 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 c (new)
Paragraph 17 c (new)
17c. Considers that the Commission must present an improved system, determined at European level, with mandatory enhanced conditionality applicable in all Member States, additional agri-environmental tools, along with a mandatory new European incentive scheme, to be settled by each Member State for farmers who can voluntarily participate and for which payment levels would reflect the level of ambition of the different environmental practices;
Amendment 981 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 d (new)
Paragraph 17 d (new)
17d. Proposes that this new form of greening should be accompanied by significant, coordinated and more efficient means in Pillar II through targeted tangible and intangible investments (knowledge transfer, training, advice, exchange of know-how, networking, EIP innovation) as another driver of change;
Amendment 996 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Believes that this new framework should be underpinned by the possible allocation of a minimum amount of the total available budget to AECMs, including organic agriculture, support for biodiversity and genetic diversity in animals and plants;
Amendment 1023 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls on the Commission to foster innovation and modernisation in agriculture and forestry by supporting training knowledge and best practices' exchange, notably through the Europeand agricultural extension as a pre-condition in programme design and implementation in all Member States, while fostering the transfer of know-how and the exchange of best practice models betweenknowledge and information system (AKIS) and in particular towards innovation-driven research in smart farming technology (smart AKIS), as well as training and agricultural extension as a pre-condition in programme design and implementation in all Member States;
Amendment 1051 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Highlights that rural networks at European and national level should play a key role in supporting farmers and forest holders in implementing innovative solutions and facing new challenges and in providing more targeted solutions;
Amendment 1143 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Insists on the critical need for the future CAP to support farmers more efficiently in order to cope with price and income volatility due to climate, healthsanitary and market risks, by creating additional incentives for flexible risk management and stabilisation tools while ensuring broad access;
Amendment 1144 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Reminds the Commission that risk management strategies, only based on insurance systems and income stabilization tools, are not sufficiently effective when price volatility is significantly fluctuating compared to production cost levels, which is the case for agricultural markets;
Amendment 1154 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Stresses that a future-oriented CAP should be designed to better address critical health issues, such as those related to antimicrobial resistance (AMR), air quality and healthier nutrition;
Amendment 1157 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21b. Notes that these measures need to be speedier both in their activation and in their results;
Amendment 1161 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 c (new)
Paragraph 21 c (new)
21c. Notes that market risks can also be managed by improved market access for EU agriculture and food products in export markets;
Amendment 1168 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Insists on the necessity of strengthening the position of producers within the food supply chain, in particular by guaranteeing them a fair share of the added value, by fostering inter-sectoral cooperation, guaranteeing the creation and development of producer organisations (PO) and their associations (APO) and interbranch organizations (IO), tackling unfair and abusive trading practices in the food supply chain, and strengthening transparency in the markets and crisis prevention;
Amendment 1220 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24
Paragraph 24
24. Calls for an in-depth review of the current crisis reserve mechanism in order to create an independent financial instrument exempt from the budgetary principle of annuality, so as to permit budgetary transfers from one year to the next, thereby enabling quick and effective responses to crisis situations, including those involving animal and plant health, disease-related issues and food safenot subject to the principle of annuality of the budget so as to allow transfers from one year to the next, especially when market prices are sufficiently high, and will increase the speed and effectiveness of crisis responses, including animal health issues, plant diseases, food safety and security;
Amendment 1235 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Believes that while tradehey agreements are generally beneficial to the EUfor some agricultural sector overall,s and necessary forto strengthening the EUnion’s position on the globalworld agricultural market, theyrade agreements also pose a number of challenges that require reinforced safeguard mechanismdifficulties which require coherence between trade policy and certain objectives of the CAP concerning family farm income, the future of certain rural territories, which in practice implies the establishment of safeguard mechanisms or even exclusion of the most sensitive sectors from the negotiations and the application of the principle of reciprocity in production conditions, so as to ensure a level playing field between farmers in the EU and in the rest of the worlduropean Union their foreign competitors;