BETA

Activities of Sylvia LIMMER related to 2020/2260(INI)

Plenary speeches (1)

2021/10/18
Dossiers: 2020/2260(INI)

Amendments (30)

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

whereas the Commission A. whereas the Commission communication on a Farm to Fork Strategy se~~ts out~~eks to propose a holistic approach of the European food system, with agriculture~~, as a provider of food, fibre and fuel,~~ at the centre, while recognising the interconnectedness of all actors throughout the whole supply chain;

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas ~~Europe’s food system should deliver food and nutrition security in a way that contributes to social well- being and maintains and restores ecosystem health; whe~~farming in the Member States, through an environmentally friendly and market-oriented production, ensureas securrently, the food system is responsible for 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 transform in order to ensure coherence with the SDGs, the Paris Agreement, the Convention on Biological Diversity and EU policies, particularly in the areas of sustainability, the environment, climate, public health, animal welfare, food and economic sustainability for farmerity of supply to the population and allows holdings operating in an environmentally friendly and performance-based manner a reasonable income, while maintaining natural resources, ensuring animal welfare, preserving the cultural landscape and safeguarding traditional farming settlement structures;

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

~~consumers are informed and enabled~~whereas it is important that D. whereas consumers should be optimally informed and therefore enabled and have the freedom 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 affordabl~~provided that there is transparency of information, the provision of food that is healthy, safe, environmentally friendly, preserves human and natural resources and ensures animal welfare csho~~ice, and fost~~uld offers a~~nd encourages consumption patterns that support human health while ensuring the sustainable use of natural and human resources and animal welfare~~ market advantage over foods that do not meet these conditions or do so only to a limited extent;

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. ~~Welcomes~~Takes note of the farm to fork strategy ~~as an important~~, presented by the Commission as a step in ensuring a sustainable, fair 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, encourages the Commission to translate the strategy into concrete legislative and non-legislative action as soon as possiblein this connection that since the Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit of 1992 the term ‘sustainable’ has become a cliché used with various meanings, and accordingly is unfit to accurately designate issues and policy objectives and therefore should be replaced by more understandable terms such as ‘environmentally sound’ or ‘eco- friendly’;

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

~~Welcomes~~2. Takes note of 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 agricultural sector while ensuring consistency between policies byencourages the Commission to ensure consistency between existing and planned policies at EU level 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; stresses th~~e need to include~~at the entire food and beverage chains including processing, marketing, distribution and retail should be included;

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 2

Building the food chain that works for consumers, producers~~, climate~~ and the environment

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Welcomes the ~~decision to revise the directive~~efforts of the Member States and onf the sustainable use of pesticides and the reduction targets for pesticides, fertilisers, and antibiotics; emphasises the importance of pursuing these targets through holistic and circular approaches, such as agroecological practices; insists that each Member State should establish robust quantitative reduction targets, accompanied by well- defined support measures ensurCommission to further reduce the environmental impact of agriculture; notes that primarily it should be the duty of the Member States to implement appropriate measures based on the appropriate laws while laying down binding and firm quantitative targets, but without endangering the existence of farms; stresses that, ing a~~ccountability at all levels~~ddition, corresponding legislative proposals at EU level can also contribute to the~~lp reach these targets; reiterates its call for the translation into legisla~~ goal of reducing the environmental impact of farming; stresses the importance of a balanced use of fertilisers and an effective risk reduction ofin the ~~above targets and objectives and calls on the Commission to clarify how it will deal with individual Member States’ contributions to Union-wide targets and to clarify the baselines for these target~~targeted use of pesticides; considers necessary the most sparing use of antibiotics, exclusively for essential therapeutic applications, in order to effectively tackle resistance to antibiotics and to maintain the effectiveness of antibiotics for humans and animals;

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

Emphasises the importance of 4. Emphasises the importance of recognising the significant negative 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 agricul~~on the environment and where there is potential or actural e~~missions of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, in particular in the feed and livestock sectors; calls for~~nvironmental damage as a regsul~~atory measures and targets to ensure progressive reductions in all GHG emissions in these sector~~t, of taking fast and effective countermeasures;

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

Points out that extensive and 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, and that it has multiple positive effects for the environment and against climate change, and can contributes to a circular economy;

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

Welcomes the notion of rewarding carbon sequestration in soils; stresses, however, that intensive and industrial agriculture and farming models with negative impacts on biodiversity should not receive climate funding or be incentivised; calls for the proposals to be in line with the environmental objectives and the ‘do no harm’ principle of the Green Deal6. stresses that farmers should not be the scapegoats for misguided environmental policy, but instead should be supported in their efforts to guarantee security of supply with high-quality, locally produced food whilst simultaneously making a meaningful contribution to maintaining the traditional cultural landscape;

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Calls 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;

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

~~Recalls that the European food system~~9. Stresses the aim that the food system in the EU Member States should 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 theenvironmentally sound food at all times; stresses the need to consider a safe and environmentally friendly food supply chain ~~and its workers~~ as a strategic asset for the ~~safety and~~ well-being of all ~~European~~citizens in the EU Member States;

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Underlines that robust and reliable legal frameworks for the fisheries and aquaculture sector should provide the basis for better protection measures with subsequent increases in fish populations and more clarity regarding the use of space and licenses in aquaculture, allowing for greater predictability for investments; stresses that good traceability mechanisms and ~~high sustainability standard~~strict environmental guidelines for all products sold on EU markets are essential to ensure transparency for consumers, the sector and the different administrations, and to ~~achieve the targets of the Green Deal and the SDGs~~ensure environmentally sound practices in the fisheries and aquaculture sector;

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

~~Expresses its deep concern about the emergence of zoonotic diseases that are transferred~~11. Calls, in view of the fact that zoonotic diseases, and thus the transfer of pathogens 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 destruction of biodiversity, environmental degradation and our current food production system~~continue to exist, for support for research projects that contribute to the development of effective counter-strategies;

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

~~supported~~Calls for primary producers to be 12. Proposes that primary producers be supported by the Member States and the Commission in making the transition to greater sustainability through the encouragement of cooperation and collective actions as well as through competition rules and the enhancement of possibilities for cooperation within the common market organisations for agricultural, fishery and aquaculture products, ~~and thus~~in order for farmers’ and fishers’ position in the supply chain to be strengthened ~~in order to enable them to capture a fair share of the added value of sustainable production~~;

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

Urges the Commission to follow up 13. Notes that it may be advisable if the Commission follows up on Directive (EU) 2019/633 on unfair trading practices 22 and 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~~, to ensure progress in integrating ~~economic,~~ environmental a~~nd social sustainability~~spects 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 for farmers, without thereby having detrimental impacts from an economic or social point view; stresses the importance of ensuring efficient farming based on market principles, that ensures fair prices for performance-based, environmentally sustainable farming and allows farmers a decent standard of living; _________________ 22 OJ OJ L 111, 25.4.2019, p. 59.

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

~~Urges the review of~~14. Points out 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 educational messages about the importance of healthy nutrition and promoting greater consumption of fruit and vegetables with the aim of reducing obesity rates; encourages, in this connection, strengthening exchange of knowledge on the importance of healthy nutrition;

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Recalls th~~e need to~~at the promoteion of effective Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS), enabling all food chain actors to become sustainable by speeding up innovation and accelerating knowledge transfer; recalls, in addition, the need for a farm sustainability data network to set benchmarks for farm performance and document the uptake of sustainable farming practices, while allowing can be expedient if this allows all interested food chain actors to operate more efficiently and with greater environmental awareness by speeding up innovation and accelerating knowledge transfer; recalls, in addition, the need for the precise and tailored application of new production approaches at farm level by providing all farmers with access to fast broadband connections;.

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16

burden that highly processed 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 prohibCalls for measures to reduce the 16. encourages the Member States and the Commission, without exerting further coercion or prohibition, to provide scientifically based information to the population on the principles of a healthy diet; stresses in this connection that responsible, suitably informed citizens charged with the ~~use of false nutritional claims on foods high in fats, sugars and/or salt; calls for~~welfare of children and others in their care must take personal responsibility for ensuring they have a healthy diet; notes that a mandatory EU- wide ~~front-of-pack~~ nutrition labelling system based on independent science could be worthwhile, whereby such labelling does not necessarily have to be front-of-pack;

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

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 awareWelcomes the fact that the strategy 18. Stresses the importance of Member States providing consumers with the most comprehensive information possible on a healthy diet that takes account of the aim to maintain environmental integrity, so as to make it easier for consumers to exercise their consumer sovereignty in purchasing decisions in a responsible and environmentally conscious way; underliness 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 tothat food prices in a functioning social market economy are determined by the interplay between supply and demand; notes that in a functioning social market economy price, quality and successful marketing of a product are decisive factors in achieving corresponding sales among consumers;~~welcom~~ notes, therefore, th~~e strategy’s objective that the healthy and sustainable choice should become the most affordable on~~at it is the duty of all agricultural actors to convince consumers of the quality of their products, whereby it may be quite expedient to cite eco-friendly aspects of a product to gain a competitive advantage;

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
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 consumer~~informed consumers make conscientious purchasing decisions and that consumer sovereignty should not be restricted by unreasonable prohibitions; notes that third- party certification and labelling alone are not effective in ensuring sustainable production and consumption;

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Highlights th~~e recognition~~at it ins 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 plant-based foods and less red and processed meat, sugars, salt, and fats, which will also benefit the environment; emphasises that EU-wide guidelines for sustainable and healthy diets would bring clarity to consumers on 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 develop such guidelines and specific actions to effectively promote healthy plant-based dietsresponsibility of informed citizens to have a healthy lifestyle; emphasises that to this end the state can offer support in the form of information transfer and exchange of knowledge, but without dictating to citizens what food they should consume, in what way and when;

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Considers that the further development of plant protein production and alternative sources of protein in the EU ~~is a way of effec~~Member States may be entivrely ~~addressing many of the environmental and climate challenges that EU agriculture is facing, as well as preventing deforestation in countries outside the EU~~reasonable, provided that based on a market-oriented framework producers can see corresponding demand being generated among consumers;

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

Calls for a revision of public 22. Calls for a review of public procurement legislation, in~~cluding minimum mandatory criteria in schools and other public institutions to~~ order, as necessary, to improve the information available to consumers regarding the inclusion of enco~~urage organic and local food product~~-friendly criteria in their purchasing decisions and ~~to promote more healthy diets by creating a food environment that enables consumers to make the healthy choice~~choices; recalls that this may also include encouraging the use of regional and local products in schools and other public institutions;

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23

23. 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 at Member State level;

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 3

~~Enabling the transition~~Achieving food security

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Underlines the importance of EU funding for research and innovation as a ~~key~~potential driver in ~~accelerating the transition to a more sustainable, healthy and inclusive European food system~~structuring a secure and eco-friendly food system in the EU Member States while facilitating investments needed to encourage agro- ecological practices in ~~both~~technological, soci~~al and technologic~~entific and social 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;

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

~~Recalls the global responsibility of European food systems and their key role in setting global standards for food safety, environmental protection and~~26. Notes the possibility, in the case of successful innovations, which lead to improved and more eco-friendly food systems in the EU Member States, of also making an im~~al welfare~~pact at global level; 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 assistance to support primary producers from developing countries in meeting those standards; welcomes the Commission’s intention to take the environmental impacts of requested import tolerances into account;

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 4

~~Promot~~Having ~~the~~a global ~~transition~~impact

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the governments and parliaments of the EU Member States.

2021/02/18
Committee: ENVI AGRI