Activities of Paul BRANNEN related to 2015/2225(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Technological solutions for sustainable agriculture (short presentation)
Amendments (21)
Amendment 9 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A (new)
Recital -A (new)
-A. whereas sustainable farming is environmentally friendly and climate- friendly and takes account of the needs of the natural world and individual species; whereas organic farming comes closest to this model;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital -A a (new)
Recital -A a (new)
Aa. whereas intensive farming is one of the main sources of discharges of substances such as nitrogen, phosphorous, heavy metals and plant protection products and thus causes long- term damage to groundwater, the soil, the climate and biodiversity;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas global food production must increase by 60-110 % to meet this demanthis demand can only be met if the food distribution problem is solved on a global basis and the problem of food wastage is addressed;
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
B a. whereas the EU must reduce food waste in a decisive manner in order to help satisfy the needs of the growing world population;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas industrial agriculture accounts for 70 % of the world’s fresh water use, and water availability is already a major limitation on agricultural production in some regions of the EU and globally;
Amendment 36 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)
Recital D a (new)
Da. whereas the use of drinking water in agriculture can be significantly reduced by employing modern irrigation techniques and growing crops suited to the local climate;
Amendment 46 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas up to 40 % of global crop yields are lost to plant pests and diseases each year and this percentage is expected to increase significantly in the years aheadsteps must be taken to prevent this figure from increasing any further;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K
Recital K
K. whereas the approvals process, including the criteria for defining active substances, is becoming increasingly challenging for EU agriculturerequires careful scientific assessment, including of their possible environmental impacts;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Considers PF to be essential for achieving sustainable agriculture in the EU but recognises the constraints for its widespread adoption, including the reliability and manageability of this technology and its adaptability to smaller and irregular farmland areasTakes the view that in certain cases PF can contribute to sustainable farming in the EU;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Calls on industry, the Commission and the Member States to work in partnership to improve the performance and adaptability of robotic and other PF techniques in order to increase demand and investment by farmers;
Amendment 133 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Recognises the need to use germplasm collections to identify and characterise traits for resource use efficiency, pest and disease resistance and other attributes conferring improved quality and resilience; considers that this requires greater emphasis to be placed on phenotyping, which is a particular bottleneck for many crops;
Amendment 141 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10 a. Stresses that farmers' rights to breed plants autonomously, to store and exchange seeds of different species and varieties must be respected in order to ensure genetic diversity of European agriculture;
Amendment 187 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Welcomes the 2016 Commission Work Programme REFIT initiatives which commit the EU to carrying out an evaluation of Regulation (EC) No 1107/2009 and Regulation (EC) No 396/2005; stresses, however, that the REFIT process must not lead to lowering of the relevant food safety and environmental protection standards;
Amendment 203 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
Amendment 208 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)
Paragraph 20 a (new)
20 a. Encourages wider use of various alternatives to traditional pesticides, including biopesticides, as a component of the Integrated Pest Management;
Amendment 210 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
Amendment 222 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22
Paragraph 22
22. Recognises that the development of agri-related technologies requires a multitude of skills sets and knowledge that are specialist as well as transdisciplinary in approach – these include, but are not limited to, general plant, animal and environmental science, physiology and engineering;
Amendment 226 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Regrets the increasing skill shortages in many of these professions and calls on the Member States to work in partnership with industry, research institutions and other relevant stakeholders in the design of their next Rural Development Programmes to identify opportunities to support skills development and knowledge transfer in these areas, including by means of trainings and apprenticeships for young farmers and new entrants;
Amendment 255 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)
Paragraph 27 a (new)
27 a. Recommends more research and promotional funding to be comitted to development of various agro-ecological approaches, including agroforestry, which can deliver substantially higher yields to farmers while being considerably cheaper and more resource efficient than conventional agriculture methods;
Amendment 269 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32
Paragraph 32
32. Notes that rural areas, and in particular agriculture, are most exposed to actual and potential climate change; recognises that agriculture must be allowed to adapt to meet changing circumstances using all available technological solutions; notes that modern technologies applied in agriculture and a broader land use sector can help them contribute fairly to global climate change mitigation efforts;
Amendment 292 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35 a (new)
Paragraph 35 a (new)
35 a. Calls on the Commission to carry out Fitness Check of the CAP in order to establish whether it delivers results, including an assessment of what should be the optimal place for technology to help the CAP achieve its stated objectives;