31 Amendments of Martin HÄUSLING related to 2013/2099(INI)
Amendment 5 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 a (new)
Citation 7 a (new)
- having regard to "The right to food; Seed policies and the right to food: enhancing agrobiodiversity and encouraging innovation" Note by the Secretary-General; United Nations A/64/170General Assembly; 2009
Amendment 6 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 7 b (new)
Citation 7 b (new)
- having regard to conclusions of the IAASTD, the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development, an intergovernmental process supported by the FAO, GEF, UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO, the World Bank and the WHO.
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas this population growth will make extreme demands on agriculture, particularly as regards increasing productivity, in order to meet the substantial increase in demand for food: the FAO estimates that yieldsfood supply needs to increase by 70% over the next 30-40 years;
Amendment 10 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas part of the increased need for food can probablybecause between 30% and 50% of food produced is wasted in the EU, with a global average of around 30%, a great part of the increased supply of food needed can be met by means of a significantly more efficient food industry in the rich part of the world in conjunction with substantially enlarged storage and distribution systems in developing countries;
Amendment 12 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the main problem still remains how wepopulations in different parts of the world will be able to feed the global populationmselves, as the cultivable land area steadily declinesdeclines due to inappropriate land use including poor agricultural practices, exacerbated by climate change, while opportunities to increase the area under cultivation are extremely limited, since in most parts of the world it is thought to be quite unrealistic to bring new agricultural land into use, inter alia out of a concern to preserve biodiversity;
Amendment 13 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas over-exploitation of farmland via intensive systems that do not replenish natural agricultural resources could impoverish and erode the soil and, in the worst case, bring about erosion and desertification; whereas the same applies to wooded land, because converting wooded land to farmland would affect both the climate and water management, as well as biodiversity, so seriously that it is an inconceivable option with a view to increasing food production;
Amendment 16 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital J
Recital J
J. whereas major changes in the climate are likely in the futurthe overwhelming scientific consensus is that major changes in the climate have already begun and will likely get worse; whereas for Europe this means a significantly drier climate in the southern regions, where there are areas of great importance to the production of fruit and vegetables; whereas in central and northern latitudes within Europe winters are expected, rather, to be milder while summers are distinctly rainier than at present; whereas the consequences are very likely to include an increase in animal and plant diseases and a need for new farming techniques;more outbreaks of certain pest species and ranges extending further to the north, necessitating adaptive farming techniques, which include limiting monocultures and continuous cropping; whereas we need healthy soils with good humus content to retain water and nutrients and prevent erosion, and robust agro-ecosytems to provide resilience.
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K a (new)
Recital K a (new)
Ka. whereas although productivity gains due to nutrient availability and predation remain minimal in the EU, there remain productivity gains to be made by strengthening agro-ecological processes such as pollination, soil formation, and nutrient and water cycling;
Amendment 20 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K b (new)
Recital K b (new)
K b. whereas unsustainable agricultural practices such as monocultural production and continuous cropping are inefficient in terms of nutrient, water and energy use, and can create externalised economic costs which are borne by the public or EU budget.
Amendment 21 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital K c (new)
Recital K c (new)
K c. whereas sustainable agriculture is the best use of public funds because amongst others, it avoids generating costly externalities.
Amendment 22 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Stresses that, in order to respond to forthcoming challenges, such as both future food supply and climate change, it is exceptionally important to have an effective plant-breeding industrysector;
Amendment 24 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Snotwithstanding the primary importance of a healthy soil and diversity to provide agro-ecosystem resilience, stresses how important it is to develop new varieties which can cope with the conditions we expect to encounter in the future, for example increased precipitation and newestimated increased occurrence of plant diseases; notes that, at the same time, it is important to preserve and develop the existing diversity in Europe, both within the agro-ecosystem as a whole and also genetic diversity within strains and the absolute number of different breeds and landraces, as all these are needed to ensure we can adapt around the challenges of climate change;
Amendment 27 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Notes the need for a balanced agriculture that avoids monocultures and continuous arable cropping, thereby reducing build up of pests in the soil and vegetation; notes also the utility of natural predators of pests and preventative agronomic practices which avoid build up of pests to economically damaging population densities, so that rather pest populations are regulated in a well- balanced agro-ecological cycle. Notes also the risk of a systematically or routine prophylactic approach to pest control, as this reduces the ecological processes upon which productivity gains can be made, even before there is evidence of a pest.
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Notes that crops are needed which, for example, absorb nitrogen and phosphorus effectively, notwithstanding the need for appropriate land-use choices, crops are needed which, for example, are more tolerant of drought and heavier precipitation, are resistant tocan tolerate pests and can withstand changes in temperature; observes that it is also necessary to develop perennial crops, i.e. multiannual crops; observes that, with multiannual crops,where the land need not be tilled every year, which makes farming environmentally sounderwould decrease soil erosion;
Amendment 32 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Stresses that, as opportunities to take new land into use for farming are very limited, it is vital to facilitate the process of developing new crops characterised by higheradaptability to their environmental conditions, suitability regarding their requirement of scarce resources, support of sustainability goals, sufficient productivity and high quality and that it is also important to develop crops which are already existwidely used;
Amendment 37 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Stresses that, in order to meet these needs, it is of decisive importance that there should be opportunities to develop various plant-breeding techniques in keeping with the timewhich respond to the societal and agricultural demands; notes that it may takes at leasbout 10 years to develop a new variety of wheat, rape or many other crops, and that it is therefore absolutely crucial to be open to the technologies available which do not pose any additional risks;
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Stresses that an important element in the solution to the problem is protecting and preserving the European biological and genetic heritage; considers that it is vital to have good variation of genetic diversity both within strains and breeds and in terms of their absolute number; observes that, while the world population is expected to grow in future, the FAO estimates that the diversity of cultivated crops declined by 75% during the 20th century; notes that, of ten varieties of a species, only three may now survive;
Amendment 45 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses that, to make it possible to develop new varieties, it is vital to havekeep many genetic variations availabllive; considers, therefore, that this rapid decline is cause for serious concern;
Amendment 49 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Considers it vital, with a view to Europe's future, to work seriously to preserve our genetic heritage and that it is particularly important to cultivate and preserve local and regional varieties in order to conserve both genetic and cultural diversity;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)
Paragraph 10 a (new)
10a. Considers it important to preserve the vast majority of varieties and plant genetic resources in-situ and on-farm; notes that currently not enough effort and support is provided to facilitate this goal by public institutions;
Amendment 53 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Observes that plant-breeding research and practice is decisive for the future of agricultural production, particularly work on the development of existing varieties and of new varieties, in order to safeguard future food supply;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13
Paragraph 13
13. Deplores the factNotes that it is both too costly and too time- consuming to develop new varieties;
Amendment 68 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Considers that large global plant- breeding undertakings have gained an unreasonably strong influence over global agriculture and agricultural policy, particularly as they only produce a few ‘major’ crops such as maize, soya and cereals; Emphasises the role of publically funded independent science carried out in the long term public interest, with a view to long term food security.
Amendment 81 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18
Paragraph 18
18. Stresses that it is important for Europe to win back and further develop European plant-breeding research; and practice
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Stresses the importance of European diversity of species; considers that it cannot be sufficiently stressed how important it is that plant-breeding research and practice should be conducted which focuses on European needs: which plants, cereals and fruits are appropriate to the various local and regional conditions that exist currently and in the near future in Europe; notes that this is decisive with a view to being able to give European farmers the freedom they need and to improve the quantlity and qualdiversity of food;
Amendment 88 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20
Paragraph 20
20. Observes that, as the market is dominated by a few undertakings which invest only in relatively few varieties, we will ultimately be left with a smaller range of varieties; observes that existing varieties are disappearing while no new ones are becoming available, which in turn has the effect of making it impossible to attain the goal of genetic diversity; Notes that our increased dependence on a few varieties and strains with increasingly narrower genetic ranges and variations is a major and serious problem for the our long term global food security, due to increased susceptibility to disease and pest outbreaks.
Amendment 92 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Stresses that Europe needs a range of diverse actors in the plant-breeding industrysector and that it should become possible for more smaller undertakings and research centres to carry out research projects and operate in the plant-breeding industrysector; considers that, under the present circumstances, the smaller actors are too small to be able to compete with large global undertakings;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23
Paragraph 23
23. Stresses that the EU, with a common agricultural policy, has a duty to shoulder its responsibility for meeting future challenges within aAgriculture and plant- breeding in Europe; considers it important that the EU should play a leading role in the development of newsustainable plant- breeding techniques and in promoting agricultural and plant-breeding research; and practice
Amendment 95 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25
Paragraph 25
25. Calls on the Commission to allocate financial resources and create a coherent structure for plant-breeding research and practice within research programmes and other suitable policy instruments, so that European diversity can be preserved and developed; considers it important, in particular, that research projects should be given enough time and funding to achieve results; notes that it is also very important that plant- breeding undertakings should have unrestricted access to research results and that there should be a range of different research projects, so that failure will have less impact;:
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26
Paragraph 26
26. Stresses that the ultimate aim of legislation on plant-breeding should be to facilitate the application of plant-breeding techniquescarefully monitor the risks associated with non-traditional breeding methods before having them applied and provide a framework for their safe application and facilitate research into agriculture and plant-breeding; considers that it should result in products which produce largehigh quality, promote genetic diversity, provide for sufficient yields and are safe to health and the environment;
Amendment 103 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28
Paragraph 28
28. Calls on the Commission, in view of the challenges and preconditions for the European and global plant-breeding industrysector which have been described, to examine and analyse the situation carefully and propose effective and practical measures to meet these enormous challenges facing Europe’'s farmers;