24 Amendments of Asger CHRISTENSEN related to 2021/2239(INI)
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B a (new)
Recital B a (new)
Ba. whereas Regulation (EU) 2018/848 on organic production and labelling of organic products obliges farmers to comply with a conversion period during which they have to apply all rules on organic production; whereas this period may last up to 3 years; whereas farmers during this period have to bear higher costs of production without benefiting from higher market prices for organic products;
Amendment 25 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas it is essential to ensure that consumers and food services are in a position to make informed choices when purchasing food;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas organic farming has a potential to contribute to environmental protection and biodiversity and at the same time revitalise rural areas, creating employment, supporting the sustainability of small farms, bringing consumers and producers closer, enhancing the connections with the local economy and stimulating positive economic multipliers;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Underlines that the development and growth of the organic sector must be accompanied by market-driven and accompanied by holistic supply chain developments as well as measures to stimulate furmeet ther demand for organic food and ensure consumer trust, in order to safeguard the future profitability of the organic market and organic farming in the EU;
Amendment 76 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Highlights that stimulating agricultural sustainability and resilience of the EU foodsystem should be a priority; underlines that co-existence of different farming systems is important as diversity is key to food system security and resilience and benefits sustainable development; points out that there is no single farming model that fits all countries and regions and stresses that the benefits of the different sustainable farming models should be recognised;
Amendment 91 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that for an EU action plan to succeed, it must stimulate and mobilise the Member States; expresses the view, therefore, that Member States should be encouraged to develop their own national OAPs with concrete, time-bound actions;
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)
Paragraph 3 a (new)
3a. Regrets that the new regulation on organic farming risks creating some major hurdles to its implementation by EU producers, especially small farmers, and at the same time lowers existing standards, particularly as regards plant protection products, which could lead to consumer distrust; therefore calls on the European Commission to carry out an impact assessment of the new regulation three years after its implementation, with a view to make the necessary adjustments;
Amendment 123 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recognises the importance of speeding up the development of organic aquaculture and wild organic picking areas in the EU;
Amendment 128 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Is of the opinion that legislation and OAPs must provide sufficient room for flexibility for Member States' different organic practices and prerequisites, such as climate zones and length of growing seasons;
Amendment 129 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 b (new)
Paragraph 6 b (new)
6b. Stresses the need for modern and innovative methods when developing new organic seeds and agriculture practices, maintaining high level of protection of human health and the environment;
Amendment 130 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 c (new)
Paragraph 6 c (new)
6a. Expresses its concern about misleading labels, packaging and advertising that makes it difficult for consumers to distinguish conventional products from organic products; emphasizes that the terms 'locally produced' or 'regionally produced' should only be used if the main ingredients of the food product concerned are actually from that region, and that the terms 'authentic' or 'natural' should never be allowed for industrially processed foods;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)
Paragraph 6 a (new)
6a. Considers, however, that increased support for the promotion of organic products should not be at the expense of other sustainable products, such as geographical indications, which strongly contribute to the economic growth in many rural areas and are the flagship of European agriculture;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 b (new)
Paragraph 7 b (new)
7b. Reminds that demands from professional kitchens differ from those of the households; stresses the importance to create added value for the supply chain and increase the processing level of organic products to respond for the needs of professional kitchens;
Amendment 156 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Points out that local, regional and regnational authorities play an important role in supporting the structuring of the organic sector in terms of production, logistics and trade, facilitating the creation of organised cooperation between producers and consumers, and raising awareness at local level and developing educational programmes for preschools and schools; highlights that all authorities continuously must work with easing the administrative burden and regulations in order to make the regulatory framework better;
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Points out that local and regional authorities play an important role in supporting the structuring of the organic sector in terms of production, logistics and trade, facilitating the creation of organised cooperation between producers, food services and consumers, as well as raising public awareness at local levelbout the differences between various sustainable farming methods and developing educational programmes for preschools and schools;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Highlights that the success of the OAP will depend on stronger involvement of the private sector to stimulate demand, especially in countries with less developed organic markets and production; underlines that an increase in organic production must foremost come from higher private demand and not from political incentives;
Amendment 170 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11
Paragraph 11
11. Underlines that it is essential for the Commission, the Member States and stakeholders to engage actively in identifying ways in which the existing certification and control mechanisms can be made more robust to prevent fraud in organic production and trade, both in the EU and in non-EU countries, as well as to prevent additional administrative burdens and costs for farmers, including by using IT solutions;; stresses that the certification process in the conversion to organic farming continues to be cumbersome and difficult to implement, especially for small farmers; thus, underlines the need for simplification, reduction of administrative burdens and costs.
Amendment 206 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Considers that an adequate common agricultural policy (CAP) budget should be provided to create incentives for farmers to convert to and maintainfurther develop organic farming practices at national level, through rural development measures or newly introduced eco-schemes, or a combination of the two; calls on the Member States to support generational renewal in organic farming;
Amendment 207 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Paragraph 13 a (new)
Amendment 245 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Stresses the fundamental importance of expanding the structured exchange of knowledge and best practices on organic farming among Member States and farmers; believes in the benefits of growing collaboration between scientists, advisory services, the education sector, farmers and society in this respect; highlights the important role to be played by farm advisory services, which Member States mustcan include in their CAP strategic plans, in the development of the organic sector;
Amendment 264 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Stresses the need for research and innovation to overcome restrictions in organic agriculture, such as the availability of organic protein feed, vitamins, plant protection products, fertilisers and genetic resources and to encourage meeting societal expectations on animal welfare and efficient resource use; reminds the importance of livestock manure as an organic fertilizer and encourages its sustainable use in the cultivation cycle; welcomes the Commission’s intention to earmark Horizon Europe funding in this respect; calls on the Commission to stimulate and foster cooperation between research communities working on organic and conventional food and farming;
Amendment 275 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)
Paragraph 18 a (new)
18a. Underlines that bio-fertilizers and bio-based soil improvers are important components of organic farming practices; stresses therefore the need to incentivise innovation with regard to the production of bio-fertilizers and bio-based soil improvers from various types of biomass waste such as animal manure and food waste;
Amendment 282 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 b (new)
Paragraph 18 b (new)
18b. Stresses the need to support the development of safe, effective and affordable alternative to plant protection products as an important element of the development of organic production;
Amendment 289 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Highlights the importance of sufficiently available, high-quality organic seeds, heterogeneous material and high- yielding plant varieties, also varieties that are locally adopted; points out their potential in strengthening resilience against plant diseases and the impact of climate change; encourages the Commission and the Member States to step up efforts to improve the functioning of the organic seed market and believes that transitional periods would be helpful in achieving this;