Activities of Ulrike MÜLLER related to 2020/2260(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Farm to Fork Strategy (debate)
Shadow reports (1)
REPORT on a farm to fork strategy for a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system
Amendments (76)
Amendment 121 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 24 a (new)
Citation 24 a (new)
- having regard to its resolution of 13 September 2018 on a European One Health Action Plan against Antimicrobial Resistance,
Amendment 169 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the Commission communication on a Farm to Fork Strategy sets out a holistic approach of the European food system, with agriculture, as a provider of food, fibre, renewable energies and fuel, at the centre, while recognising the interconnectedness and shared responsibility of all actors throughout the whole supply chain to achieve the Strategy's objectives;
Amendment 199 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas Europe’s food system should delivers food and nutrition security in a way that contributes to social well- being and maintains and restores ecosystem health; whereas cfurrently,ther efforts are necessary in the food system isto responsible forduce a range of impacts on human and animal health and on the environment, the climate and biodiversity; whereas the way in which we produce and consume food needs to transformevolve further in order to ensure coherence with the SDGs, the Paris Agreement, the Convention on Biological Diversity and EU policies, particularly in the areaas well as in general to achieve a coherent balance between the pillars of sustainability, including the environment, climate, public health, food affordability, animal welfare, food and economic sustainability for farmers and actors further down the food chain, as well as social aspects such as working and employment conditions and health and safety standards;
Amendment 298 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas the European model of a multifunctional agricultural sector,-food sector, consisting of various farming models and driven by family farms, continues to ensure diverse quality food production, local and transparent supply chains, good agriculture practices, high environmental standards and vibrant rural areas throughout the EU;
Amendment 320 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)
Recital C a (new)
Ca. whereas the transition of European agriculture towards more sustainable practices and circularity will require substantial investments and adequate access to finance is a precondition; whereas the EIB is committed to increase the share of its financing of investments in climate action and environmental sustainability to reach 50 % of its operations in 2025 and from then on; whereas this could be utilised to roll out technologies that contribute to sustainable practices and to strengthening the link of agriculture to the circular economy;
Amendment 372 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas it is important that consumers are informed and enabled to take responsibility for the consequences of their choice of food stuffs on the whole food system, from production to processing and distribution; whereas this requires a healthy and sound food environment which ensures that the healthy and sustainable choice is also the easy and affordable choice, andthe availability of a wide variety of products to choose from, the availability of comprehensible information on parameters including nutritional and sustainability-relevant facts, as well as well-educated consumers; whereas it is important to fosters and encourages consumption patterns that support human health while ensuring the sustainable use of natural and human resources and animal welfare;
Amendment 417 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the European food system has played a crucial role during the COVID-19 pandemic, demonstrating its resilience with farmers, processors and retailers working together under difficult conditions, including lockdowns, to ensure that European consumers continue to have access to safe, affordable, and high quality products without impediment maintaining the integrity of the Internal Market;
Amendment 435 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas the Farm to Fork Strategy must build on all three pillars of sustainability (economic, social and environmental) and should commit, encourage and incentivise all relevant stakeholders in the food chain for sustainability while taking account the steps already taken;
Amendment 462 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
Eb. whereas the Covid-19 crisis has highlighted shortcomings in the free movement of goods, due to a lack of coordination between the Member States in the initial phase of the lockdown, leading to a disruption of the internal market;
Amendment 465 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E b (new)
Recital E b (new)
Eb. whereas the EU strives to increase the competitiveness and economic performance of small and medium-sized farmers;
Amendment 499 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Welcomes the farm to fork strategy as an important step in ensuring a sustainable, fair, diverse and resilient food system, which is central to achieving the goals set out in the European Green Deal and in the SDGs; emphasises the inextricable links between healthy people, healthy societies and a healthy planet, and the need to achieve a balanced policy approach; encourages the Commission to translate the strategy into concrete legislative and non-legislative action as soon as possible, duly taking into account voluntary measures;
Amendment 533 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1a. Highlights that the CAP support to young and new farmers should be better strengthened through promoting policy initiatives to support youth employment, entrepreneurship and digitalisation especially in rural, peripheral and sparsely populated areas;
Amendment 577 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Welcomes the announcement of an impact-assessed proposal for a legislative framework for sustainable food systems; invites the Commission to use this proposal to set out a holistic common food policy aimed at reducing the environmental and climate footprint of the EU food system in order to make Europe the first climate- neutral continent by 2050 and strengthen its resilience to ensure food security in the face of climate change and biodiversity loss, leading a global transition towards sustainability from farm to fork, based on the principle of a multifunctional and diverse agricultural sector while ensuring consistency between policies by taking into account the existing legislation in order to enable all actors in the European food system to develop long-term plans based on realistic and transparent objectives; suggests that the respective base lines and progress achieved in each Member State be taken into account, while promoting the exchange of know-how and best practices between Member States; insists that framework must be sufficiently flexible to adapt goals and measures to the specific needs and conditions of Member States and regions, which will not be achieved by a one-size-fits-all approach; stresses the need to include the entire food and beverage chains including processing, marketing, distribution and retail;
Amendment 611 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Stresses the importance of policy coherence with existing EU policies and especially between the measures envisaged by the farm to fork strategy and Common Agriculture and Fisheries Policies, EU Trade policies, the EU Bio- economy Strategy and the EU Biodiversity Strategy; therefore underlines that the Commission should base legislative proposals on independent scientific impact assessments taking into account the cumulative effects, and evaluate existing legislation and the efficiency of its implementation and propose action which suits Member States' natural conditions;
Amendment 617 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Acknowledges that there is no universal definition of sustainability as this concept comprehends multiple pillars, including climate- and environmental aspects, economic viability for primary producers and other actors in the food chain, social aspects such as employment prospects in rural areas, food affordability and public health, as well as animal welfare; stresses that there are trade-offs between different pillars that must be managed based on value judgements; calls on the Commission to promote a societal dialogue on a common understanding of sustainability on the path towards its proposal for a legislative framework for a sustainable food system, which ultimately will have to be based on one coherent approach to all aspects of sustainability;
Amendment 670 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Insists that the assessment of the sustainability of products must be based on a life-cycle approach that considers pre- and down-chain aspects such as raw material sourcing, transport and storage requirement, as well as impacts on land use and possible displacement effects that could lead to imported pollution;
Amendment 677 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 c (new)
Paragraph 2 c (new)
2c. Underlines that no single farming model can fulfil the various requirements for sustainable production as all models have their specific strengths and weaknesses with regard to the different pillars of sustainability, particularly climate and environmental performance including land-use; calls for a multi- model approach that focuses on exploiting the strengths of different farming models and further improving their weaknesses;
Amendment 681 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 d (new)
Paragraph 2 d (new)
2d. Calls on the Commission to set up a comprehensive governance framework that invites the participation of all stakeholder groups in the further development and implementation of the Strategy and its subsequent measures;
Amendment 721 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
Amendment 790 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Underlines that in order to achieve substantial reductions in pesticide use and risk, not only safer alternatives must become available to ensure the availability of a functioning plant protection toolbox and more efficient use must be facilitated by innovative tools such as digital and precision farming, but also there is a need for more resistant varieties that require less input to secure stable yields; stresses the importance of new innovative breeding techniques for making available such varieties and calls on the Commission to propose a regulatory framework in this regard;
Amendment 827 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 b (new)
Paragraph 3 b (new)
3b. Welcomes the Commission´s proposal to reduce nutrient losses; stresses that a strategy to reduce nutrient losses should focus primarily on enabling farmers to increase efficiency of nutrient management and highlights the importance of innovative technologies and solutions such as precision and smart farming and plant nutrition advisory services and management support; further calls for the strategy to consider the climate and environmental impact of different fertilisers;
Amendment 843 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 c (new)
Paragraph 3 c (new)
3c. Recalls the importance of the One Health approach and of fighting antimicrobial resistance; welcomes the Commission’s initiative to tackle the irresponsible use of antibiotics; believes that the proper implementation of the Veterinary Medicines Regulation will further reduce the use of antibiotics use efficiently; calls on the Commission and Member States to focus on further measures of enabling and incentivising innovative solutions, particularly in prevention tools and alternative therapies and vaccines; stresses that progress made must be taken into account when considering reduction targets and insists that reductions can only be considered to a level that guarantees the availability of antibiotics, if needed to ensure animal health;
Amendment 859 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 d (new)
Paragraph 3 d (new)
3d. Welcomes the Commission’s commitment to promote organic farming; stresses the environmental benefits of organic farming and acknowledges its lower yields and higher yield variability, leading to a bigger land-use footprint; highlights the need to consider trade-offs regarding different aspects of sustainability; stresses, that an area target approach threatens profitability of organic farming and hence could increase dependency on subsidies which would be in contradiction to the aim of the farm to fork strategy to make sustainable farming a profitable business model for European farmers, and calls for a market-driven uptake of organic farming instead, accompanied by research, innovation and scientific transfer as well as measures for market and supply chain development; considers it imperative that farmers receive sufficient support and educational training as part of risk management- and advisory services offered by National Authorities in the transition towards agroecological and sustainable practices;
Amendment 871 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 e (new)
Paragraph 3 e (new)
3e. Acknowledges the substantial efforts made to reduce the use of antimicrobials for treating animals as highlighted in the 2019 European Court of Auditors report on AMR, further enhanced by the new EU Regulations on Veterinary Medicinal Products and Medicated Feed, contributing to the global effort to reduce antibiotic resistance; underlines that the EU must ensure the treatment of animals with antimicrobials remains possible when needed, in order to ensure that animal health and welfare is protected at all times;
Amendment 915 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Emphasises the importance of recognising the significant impact of agriculture and especially animal production on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and land use; stresses the need to enhance natural carbon sinks and reduce agricultural emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, in particular in the feed and livestock sectors; recognises anaerobic digestion and composting as a win-win solution to recycle organic waste materials, prevent GHG emissions, produce renewable energy, enable recycle and reuse of nutrients and carbon, improve soil fertility and ensure a long- term sustainable development of rural areas; calls for regulatory measures and targets to ensure progressive reductions in all GHG emissions in these sectors; encourages farming models able to be sustainable both environmentally and economically;
Amendment 927 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Emphasises the importance of recognising the significantRecognises both the positive and negative impacts of different agriculture and especially animal production models on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and land use; stresses the needacknowledges that other than the use of fossil fuels, agricultural emissions are part of the natural carbon cycle and thus have to be balanced rather than minimised; stresses the potential of agriculture to enhance natural carbon sinks and reduce agricultural emissions of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, in particular in the feed and livestock sectors; calls forinsists that regulatory measures and targets to ensure progressive reductions in all GHG emissions in these sectors must be embedded in a framework that includes remuneration for carbon sequestration;
Amendment 958 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Highlights that operators in the agricultural sector and the food chain should ensure the optimised utilisation and recycling of non-renewable resources in order to protect land, biodiversity and water; considers that the circular economy and bio-economy offer great potential for the transition towards a climate-neutral European economy through for example, advanced bio- refineries that produce bio-fertilisers, protein feed, bioenergy, renewable energy and biochemicals;
Amendment 960 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Takes note of promising developments in the area of feed additives that help to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases and water and air pollutants from animal husbandry; welcomes the Commission’s plans to facilitate the placing on the market of sustainable and innovative feed additives in this regard and calls for relevant research programmes to support the further development;
Amendment 977 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 b (new)
Paragraph 4 b (new)
4b. Stresses that agricultural land is limited and hence must be used efficiently; highlights the need to include innovative farming models with low land- use footprints such as horticulture and insect farming into the Strategy;
Amendment 983 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 c (new)
Paragraph 4 c (new)
4c. Highlights that besides a low land- use footprint, modern horticulture contributes to different goals of the Strategy such as a low need for input, efficient use of resources and production of fruits and vegetables close to the point of consumption, thereby promoting shorter supply chains and security of supply;
Amendment 1014 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Points out that extensive and permanent grassland-based or organic animal husbandry is a feature of the European food system and a defining element of many traditional rural communities, makes productive use of land that otherwise would be abandoned and that it has multiple positive effects for the environment and against climate change, and contributes to a circular economy; believes that livestock-farming must be seen as part of the solution in a circular food system;
Amendment 1046 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)
Paragraph 5 a (new)
5a. Highlights that the diversity of European farming traditions and practices ensures and incentivises sustainable agricultural production in Europe; furthermore finds that this diversity of traditions and practices is and should remain a key component in the Union's and Member States' efforts to halt and reverse biodiversity loss and to advance climate-friendly production methods;
Amendment 1060 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)
Paragraph 5 b (new)
5b. Considers that EU initiatives within the farm to fork strategy should support a further development of food produced with a low environmental impact per unit in terms of e.g. the use of fertilisers, pesticides, biodiversity loss, antimicrobials and GHG-emissions;
Amendment 1079 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Welcomes the notion of rewarding carbon sequestration in soils; stresses, however, that intensive and industrial agriculture and farming models with negative Highlights the enormous potential of agriculture and forestry to contribute to carbon sequestration and thus achieving climate neutrality; welcomes the notion of rewarding carbon sequestration in soils under a new carbon farming initiative; invites the Commission to present several options including carbon market approaches; stresses, that all practices that reduce the climate-impacts on biodiversity should not receive climate ff farming should be taken into account in a robust accoundting orframework and be incentivised; calls for the proposals to be in line with the environmental objectives and the ‘do no harm’ principle of the Green Deal;
Amendment 1174 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Underlines the importance of seed security and diversity, notably of ensuring stable yields and promoting EU-grown plant proteins to deliver locally sourced food and feed stuffs with high nutritional value while granting farmers access to quality seeds for plant varieties adapted to the pressures of climate change, including traditional and locally-adapted varieties, while ensuring access to innovative plant breeding in order to contribute to healthy seeds and protect plants against harmful pests and diseases; raises awareness of the potential negative effects of concentration and monopolisation in the seed sector;
Amendment 1181 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Highlights the enormous potential of new varieties to contribute to various targets of the strategy by improving crop resilience, thus reducing plant protection product input, by improving efficient nutrient intake, thus reducing fertiliser input and water consumption, as well as by facilitating mitigation of crop production to different pressures resulting from climate change; stresses the importance of access to new breeding techniques in order to accelerate breeding of new varieties; recalls that achieving any ambitious input reduction target requires access to effective tools beyond merely increasing efficiency of input application; urges the Commission to propose a forward-looking regulatory framework without delay;
Amendment 1215 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Calls for CAP National Strategic Plans to ensure adequate financial support and incentives to promote new ecological ‘green’sustainable business models for agriculture and artisanal food production, notably through fostering short supply chains and quality food production; stresses that financial support under the CAP is crucial for farmers to be able to cope with increasing environmental standards, but will fall short of enabling farmers to meet the targets of the Strategy if not accompanied by further support measures; calls for Enhanced Eco Schemes to be implemented in National Strategic Plans;
Amendment 1224 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. CallsHighlights the central role of the European farmers in realizing the transition into a sustainable food system and that attention must be paid to measures which strengthen farmers' income and the competitiveness of European food production; calls therefore for CAP National Strategic Plans to ensure adequate financial support and incentives to promote new ecological ‘green’ business models for agriculture and artisanal food production, notably through fostering short supply chains and quality food production;
Amendment 1278 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8 a (new)
Paragraph 8 a (new)
8a. Stresses the importance of food security and a resilient food supply chain in the European Union, particularly in the light of the current COVID-19 pandemic; highlights the need for crisis- preparedness in a robust food system; welcomes a fostering CMO regulation and sectorial support programmes that can be implemented via National Strategic Plans;
Amendment 1291 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Recalls that the European food system delivers a sufficient and varied supply of safe, nutritious, affordable and sustainable food to people at all times and underlines that increasing the economic, environmental and social sustainability of food producers will ultimately increase their resilience; encourages the Commission to consider the food supply chain and its workers as a strategic asset for the safety and well-being of all Europeans; underlines the importance of seasonal workers for a good functioning supply chain and calls for proper working and living conditions for these; encourages retailers to assume responsibility and follow sustainability criteria (social, environmental and economic) in their purchasing practices;
Amendment 1292 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Recalls that the European food system delivers a sufficient and varied supply of safe, nutritious, affordable and sustainable food to people at all times and underlines that increasing the economic, environmental and social sustainability of food producers will ultimately increase their resilience; recalls that in the EU 33 million people cannot afford a quality meal every second day; stresses that food affordability must remain on the political agenda and must be considered when assessing increases in production costs through changing farming practices and the effects on food prices; encourages the Commission to consider the food supply chain and its workers as a strategic asset for the safety and well-being of all Europeans;
Amendment 1322 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)
Paragraph 9 a (new)
9a. Welcomes the intention of the European Commission to propose an emergency plan to deal with food crises by taking stock of the experience acquired during the Covid-19 pandemic and by including harmonised measures to guarantee a proper functioning of the internal market; considers that the promotion of territorial food projects which stimulate the development of short food circuits in the Member States can help to face those crisis;
Amendment 1348 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Highlights the contribution of pond fishing with its traditional management practices to the achievement of the targets of the farm to fork strategy and the interlinked biodiversity strategy; underlines that cultivated pond areas provide habitats for rare species, make positive contributions to climate and to water reserves, serve as nutrient sinks and sediment retention and contribute to a sustainable production of regional food; calls on Commission and Member States to consider pond fishing in relevant measures and programmes;
Amendment 1377 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Expresses its deep concern about the emergence of zoonotic diseases that are transferred from animals to humans (anthropozoonoses), such as Q fever, avian influenza and the new strain of influenza A (H1N1), which is exacerbated by anthropogenic climate change, the destructionpressure ofn biodiversity, and environmental degradation; and our current food production systemscknowledges that disease preparedness, i.e. availability of diagnosis-, prevention- and treatment methods, is key to contain emerging threats to human and animal health;
Amendment 1447 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Welcomes the Commission’s commitment to make a sustainable European food system an economic opportunity for farmers; agrees that it must become an economic opportunity for farmers in order to achieve a broad implementation of sustainable practices; recognises that sustainable production so far is a niche business model, as sustainable practices generally lead to higher production costs while options to commercialise added value are limited; insists that more needs to be done under the framework of the Strategy to map options for farmers and food businesses to turn sustainable practices and products into profit; considers that labelling is necessary tool but will not be sufficient on its own;
Amendment 1448 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Considers that Geographical Indications already play a significant role in terms of environmental, economic and social sustainability but they should be supported to boost their contribution to the Green Deal objectives; stresses the need to improve the recognition of their authenticity in order to ameliorate their positioning in the market, as consumers do not always distinguish GI from other non-quality products; considers it also necessary to reduce the administrative burden for small producers who wish to join those quality schemes and to strengthen the protection of GI against misuse or imitation at international level;
Amendment 1460 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Paragraph 12 b (new)
Amendment 1477 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Urges the Commission to closely follow up onthe effectiveness of Directive (EU) 2019/633 on unfair trading practices22 and to enforce the work with a view to strengthen the position of farmers in the food supply chain with concrete proposals and in line with the farm to fork strategy; therefore reminds the Commission to follow up on the EU code of conduct on responsible business and marketing practices by producing a monitoring framework for the food and retail sectors and providing for legal action if progress in integrating economic, environmental and social sustainability into corporate strategies is insufficient, and in so doing promoting and rewarding the efforts of sustainable agricultural producers while increasing the availability and affordability of healthy, sustainable food options and reducing the overall environmental footprint of the food system; stresses the importance of halting and addressing consolidation and concentration in the grocery retail sector in order to ensure fair prices and stronger role in the food chain for farmers; _________________ 22 OJ L 111, 25.4.2019, p. 59.
Amendment 1515 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
13a. Strongly supports the introduction of a code of conduct on responsible business and marketing practices and stresses the need for this code to lead to a better distribution of the value added in the food chain by paying a special attention to the remuneration of primary producers.
Amendment 1560 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14
Paragraph 14
14. Urges the review of the EU promotion programme for agricultural and food products, including the EU school scheme, with a view to enhancing its contribution to sustainable production and consumption, notably by focusing on science-based educational messages about the importance of a balanced and healthy nutrition and promoting greater consumption of fruit and vegetables with the aim of reducing obesity rates;
Amendment 1574 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Recalls the important role of consumer choice in reaching the Strategy’s targets and highlights the indispensability of well-educated consumers in this regard; calls on Member States and regions to put more emphasis on nutritional and environmental education in their curricula and invites the Commission to develop relevant guidance;
Amendment 1599 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Recalls the need to promote effective Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS), enabling all food chain actors to become sustainable by speeding up innovation and accelerating knowledge transfer; calls on Member States to consider AKIS in the design and implementation of their National Strategic Plans; recalls, in addition, the need for a farm sustainability data network to setfor the dual purpose of setting benchmarks for farm performance and documenting the uptake of sustainable farming practices, while allowing foras well as enabling the precise and tailored application of new production approaches at farm level by providing farmers with access to fast broadband connections; cessing collected data and providing farmers easy access to locally relevant information; highlights the importance of comprehensive access to fast broadband connections to facilitate the uptake of digital farming technologies on farm level; stresses the importance of supporting farmers in acquiring know- how to make efficient use of such innovative solutions;
Amendment 1621 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)
Paragraph 15 a (new)
15a. Notes that many regions are currently facing an ageing population, and an ongoing rural exodus; urges the Commission, in developing the subsequent farm to fork policy initiatives, to focus on practical steps to securing existing jobs in those regions, creating new ones, and making them more attractive for skilled workers; underlines that without proper rural infrastructure, no strategy can succeed, regardless of how integrated it would be;
Amendment 1630 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)
Paragraph 15 b (new)
15b. Encourages in particular for small et medium size farmers the uptake of digital tools and novel technologies for more efficient production, better promotion and enhanced communication with the other actors in the food supply chain; highlights that digitalisation could enable stronger cooperation along the food supply chain and better transparency from farmer to consumer; highlights that new technologies should facilitate lifelong learning for farmers and help create new opportunities in rural areas;
Amendment 1665 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Calls for measures to reduce the burden that highly processedover-consumption of foods with high salt, sugar and fat content place on public health; regrets that the introduction of nutrient profiles is greatly delayed and stresses that a robust set of nutrient profiles must be developed to restrict or prohibit the use of false nutritional claims on foods high in fats, sugars and/or saltwould help consumers to better understand nutritional claims on foods and particularly to set into perspective claims on foods high in fats, sugars and/or salt; calls for particular attention to be given to food for children and other special purpose foods; calls for a mandatory EU-wide front-of-pack nutrition labelling system based on independent science;
Amendment 1731 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
17. Welcomes the Commission’s commitment to revise the EU legislation on food contact materials (FCM); calls on the Commission to adopt without further delay measures for harmonising regulation of those materials not yet addressed at EU level; reiterates its call to revise the legislation on FCM in line with the regulation on the registration, evaluation, authorisation and restriction of chemicals (REACH), as well as classification, labelling and packaging regulations, and to insert, without further delay, specific provisions to substitute endocrine disrupting chemicals;
Amendment 1767 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the fact that the sStrategy rightly recognises the role and influence of the food environment in shaping consumption patterns and the need to make it easier for consumers to choose healthy and sustainable diets; reiterates the importance of promoting sustainable diets, by raising consumer awareness of the impacts of consumption patterns and providing information on diets that are better for human health and have a lower environmental footprint; underlines that food prices must send the right signal to consumers; welcomes, therefore, the sStrategy’s objective that the healthy and sustainable choice should become the most affordable one an affordable one; recalls that household expenditure on food products varies significantly across EU Member States and affordability should be ensured for consumers in all Member States, while also ensuring fair income for farmers;
Amendment 1774 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Welcomes the fact that the strategy rightly recognises the role and influence of the food environment in shaping consumption patterns and the need to make it easier for consumers to choose healthy and sustainable diets; reiterates the importance of promoting sustainable diets by raising consumer awareness of the impacts of consumption patterns and providing information on diets that are better for human health and have a lower environmental footprint; underlines that food prices must send the right signal to consumers; welcomes, therefore, the strategy’s objective that the healthy and sustare linked to production costs and that price-sensitivity of many consumers is a barrier to the uptake of more sustainably produced foods; reiterates the importance of easily avainlable choice should become the most affordable oneand comprehensible consumer information and market development measures in this regard;
Amendment 1827 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Reaffirms its belief that policy measures that are dependent solely on consumer choice unduly shift the responsibility to purchase sustainable products to consumerscalls that consumer choice is a crucial factor for the economically sustainable uptake of sustainably produced products and healthier diets; underlines the importance of good nutritional and environmental education as well as the availability of easily comprehensible relevant information in this regard; notes that third- party certification and labelling alone are not effective re an important pillar of consumer information and of creating ensuringconomic outlets for sustainabley productioned and consumptionhealthy products;
Amendment 1847 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)
Paragraph 19 a (new)
19a. Highlights that better animal welfare practices used in farming, improve animal health; looks forward to the results of the REFIT of the EU animal welfare legislation and calls on the Commission to further advance animal welfare protection and labelling rules;
Amendment 1848 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 b (new)
Paragraph 19 b (new)
19b. Welcomes the ongoing work in the special Committee for Animal Transports in the European Parliament; notes that an updated regulatory framework on driving and rest time rules will improve animal welfare during transports;
Amendment 1892 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Highlights the recognition in the strategy that Europeans’ diets are not in line with recommendations for healthy eating, and that a population-wide shift in consumption patterns is needed towards more healthy and pbalant-based foods and less red and processed meat, sugars, salt, and fats, which will also benefit the environmentced diets with a lower share of sugars, salt, and fats, based on sustainably produced foods; emphasises that EU-wide guidelines for sustainable and healthy diets would bring clarity totaking into account regional conditions and traditions would help consumers onunderstand what constitutes a healthy and sustainable diet and inform Member States’ own efforts to integrate sustainability elements in national dietary advice; calls on the Commission to assist Member States and regions in developing such guidelines and specific actions to effectively promote healthy plant-based diets;
Amendment 1937 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Considers that the further development of plant protein production and alternative sources of protein in the EU is a way of effectively addressing many of the environmental and climate challenges that EU agriculture is facing, as well as preventing deforestation in countries outside the EU; reminds the importance of sustainable livestock production for European protein self-sufficiency;
Amendment 1998 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Calls for a revision of public procurement legislation, including minimum mandatory criteria in schools and other public institutions to encourage organicsustainable and local food production and to promote more healthy diets by creating a food environment that enables consumers to make the healthy choice;
Amendment 2021 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. RHighlights that food waste has enormous environmental consequences, exacerbates climate change and represents a waste of limited resources such as land, energy and water; therefore reiterates its call to take the measures required to achieve a Union food waste reduction target of 30 % by 2025 and 50 % by 2030 compared to the 2014 baseline; underlines that binding targets are needed to achieve this;
Amendment 2044 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Underlines the need to reduce food waste along the entire food chain, from primary production, processing, retail, catering to consumers; takes note of the fact that more than 50% of food waste happens on consumer level and highlights the difficulty of enforcing binding targets under given circumstances; stresses the importance of promoting nutritional education in this regard;
Amendment 2046 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)
Paragraph 23 a (new)
23a. Stresses that, in order to reduce waste at the production stage, innovative techniques and technologies should be used to minimise losses in the fields and convert those crops and products, that do not meet market standards, into processed goods;
Amendment 2048 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 b (new)
Paragraph 23 b (new)
23b. Notes that digitalisation allows for better access to data and demand forecasts, and thereby helps developing advanced production programmes for farmers, enabling them to tailor their production to demand, better coordinate with other sectors of the food supply chain, and minimise waste; stresses that given the challenging nature of reducing food waste, effective use of food waste, including in the bio economy, should be promoted;
Amendment 2051 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 c (new)
Paragraph 23 c (new)
Amendment 2052 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 d (new)
Paragraph 23 d (new)
23d. Considers that the involvement of local stakeholders is paramount in order to reach the Union's food waste reduction targets; calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure adequate financing for research, innovation, engagement of stakeholders and information campaigns through the creation of National Food Waste Funds;
Amendment 2122 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Underlines the importance EU funding for research and innovation as a key driver in accelerating the transition to a more sustainable, healthy and inclusive European food system while facilitating investments needed to encourage agro- ecologicalsustainable practices in both social and technological innovation, and the crucial role of farm advisory services in ensuring the transfer of knowledge to the farming community, drawing on the existing specialised training systems for farmers in Member States; encourages the agri-food sector to actively use the funding earmarked for the sector in Horizon Europe in this regard;
Amendment 2141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)
Paragraph 25 a (new)
25a. Stresses that innovation is the main driver of resilient growth, of efficient and resource-friendly sustainable farming and of increasing its productivity and profitability; insists that the Strategy should be built on a strong European commitment to the promotion of research and development of innovative solutions and technologies in key areas such as digitalisation, precision farming, new breeding techniques, feed additives, as well as safer effective and efficient means of plant protection, fertilisation and veterinary medicines;
Amendment 2171 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 b (new)
Paragraph 25 b (new)
25b. Calls for the establishment and the promotion of multi-stakeholder platforms that increase collaboration and mobilise the sharing of knowledge and technology, across the entire agriculture and food chain, to help scale-up innovation, advance agricultural production systems and overcome the challenges it faces;
Amendment 2178 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 c (new)
Paragraph 25 c (new)
25c. Stresses that meeting the targets of the Strategy will require substantial investments on farm level, particularly burdening small farmers and SMEs; highlights that while the CAP will play an important role in enabling the transition it is designed to stabilise income rather than to finance large investments and stresses the importance of ensuring adequate access to finance in this regard; calls on the Commission to assess the financial impacts of the Strategy on farmers, the availability and conditions of financing for farmers and SMEs in the food chain and if required to assess options such as the InvestEU Fund or setting up an EIB guarantee scheme to improve these;
Amendment 2184 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 d (new)
Paragraph 25 d (new)
25d. Highlights that while new sustainable business models are enormous opportunities for SMEs, several initiatives envisaged under the Strategy could lead to the creation of substantial red tape; welcomes the Commission’s commitment to adhere to the better regulation tools, to assess the impacts on SMEs as well as to take action to promote sustainable and circular business models specifically for SMEs, to utilise the InvestEU Fund to facilitate access to finance for SMEs as well as to offer tailored solutions to help SME to develop new skills and business models;
Amendment 2237 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Recalls the global responsibility of European food systems and their key role in setting global standards for food safety, environmental protection and animal welfare; calls on the Commission and the Member States to ensure that all food and feed products imported to the EU fully meet relevant EU regulations and standards and to provide development assistancecreate partnerships to support primary producers from developingglobal partner countries in meeting those standards; welcomes the Commission’s intention to take the environmental impacts of requested import tolerances into account;