26 Amendments of Christophe BÉCHU related to 2009/2157(INI)
Amendment 2 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 3
Citation 3
Amendment 11 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital B
Recital B
B. whereas agriculture is directly affected, since it manages the landis one of the human economic activities which manage the natural resources necessary to human survival,
Amendment 19 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas agriculture, as the main source of two major GHGs (nitrous oxide and methane), which are emitted by intrinsically biological processes linked to all kinds of agricultural production, is contributing to climate change while also being very vulnerable to its adverse impact, which has repercussions for European food safety,
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas GHG emissions caused by agricultural activity (including rearing) decreased by 20% between 1990 and 2007 in the 27 Member States, and whereas the proportion of the Union’s GHGse emissions produced by agriculture dropped from 11% in 1990 to 9.3% in 2007, inter alia as a result of smaller hmore effective use of fertiliserds and more sustainable fertiliser useliquid manure, the recent structural reforms of the CAP and the gradual implementation of agricultural and environmental initiatives,
Amendment 41 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas the agricultural sector is capable of adapting with the help of farmers’ know-how, a strong CAP and research and innovation developments; whereas, however, since the natural processes involved are difficult to deal with, a great deal of effort must be made,
Amendment 43 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)
Recital G a (new)
Ga. whereas European agriculture constitutes a pool of jobs which should be protected and expanded,
Amendment 44 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital G b (new)
Recital G b (new)
Gb. whereas agriculture remains vital to the continuance of human activity in European rural areas, inter alia because of the wide range of services which farmers can provide for the rest of society;
Amendment 58 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Affirms that EU agriculture can contribute to the Union’s global warming mitigation objectives by finding ways to limit and reduce its GHG emissions, promoting carbon storage in the soil and developing the production of sustainable renewable energies; emphasises that, to this end, it is essential to foster the development of a different kind of agriculture better able topotential of European agriculture to improve its sustainability and focus on improving production efficiency by reducing emissions per production unit, whilst reconcileing economic, social and environmental imperatives with the natural potential of each ecosystem;
Amendment 83 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 – introduction
Paragraph 3 – introduction
3. Calls, in particular, for the future CAP to encourage – through the provision of information, training and incentives – practices that limitcontribute to improving the efficiency of agriculture and its potential to reduce GHG emissions, and/or fix carb to improving carbon sequestration, including:
Amendment 85 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 – indent 1
Paragraph 3 – indent 1
- simplified cultivation techniques that provide plant cover (such as reduced or no-tillage and leaving crop residues on the ground) and facilitate intercropping and crop rotation, thereby maximising photosynthesis and helping to enrich the soil with organic matter, as demonstrated by the SoCo project launched at the European Parliament’s instigation; farm modernisation (building insulation, energy-efficient equipment and the use of renewable energies); Or. fr (Indents 1 and 4 should change places with each other)
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 – indent 3
Paragraph 3 – indent 3
- protection of carbon-rich land (peatlandarable crop bans on peatland) and wetlands (growing suitable crops, such as reeds, as an alternative to drainage); and
Amendment 102 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 – indent 4
Paragraph 3 – indent 4
- farm modernisation (building insulation, energy-efficient equipment and the use of renewable energies); simplified cultivation techniques that provide plant cover (such as reduced or no-tillage and leaving crop residues on the ground) and facilitate intercropping and crop rotation, thereby maximising photosynthesis and helping to enrich the soil with organic matter, as demonstrated by the SoCo project launched at the European Parliament’s instigation; Or. fr (Indents 1 and 4 should change places with each other)
Amendment 106 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 d (new)
Paragraph 3 d (new)
3d. Points out, however, the need for coherence between the objective of reducing emissions and other environmental objectives, as some farming techniques might have undesirable effects such as an increase in the consumption of plant protection products as a result of non-tillage techniques;
Amendment 115 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Recommends introducing an effective forestry policy that promotes sustainable forestry management and production and does more to tap the potential and the economic development of this industry, which is the one that makes the greatest contribution to carbon capture;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Emphasises that nitrous oxide emissions can be cut significantly by making more limited and effective use of nitrogen fertilisers (such as precision farming, farm advisory schemes, plot monitoring), encouraging the use of organic fertilisers based on recovered waste (local biomass from intercropping, and forest waste, compost, sludge), developing intermediate crops such as forage legumes and identifying new varieties with superior carbon and nitrogen capture potential and, above all, developing farming techniques which aim to improve nitrogen efficiency;
Amendment 132 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Emphasises that better animal manureoptimised storage – and the application systems– of organic fertiliser and the processing of such manure in biogas factoriefertiliser in anaerobic digesters are currently some of the most promising ways of reducing methane emissions (whilst also providing a source of renewable energy), particularly in regions characterised by high-density livestock farming;
Amendment 139 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. Calls for the speeding up of administrative simplification and of research and development work on the exploitation and utilisation of biomass found on farms (farm and forest waste), biogas from livestock farming and other sustainable agrofuels, provided that the latter do not jeopardise food security;
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10
Paragraph 10
10. Emphasises that the Union’s position as the leading importer of agricultural produce results in a higher carbon cost than that generated by European farms, owing to the lower environmental standards often found in non-EU countries coupled with long-distance transport emissions; takes the view that there is a need to inform consumers by means of appropria targeted carbon footprint labelling, to compensate European farmers fairly for their efforts to reduce emissions, and toommunication strategy; notes that particular emphasis must be placed on a healthy, balanced diet made up of high- quality regional and seasonal items produced by an efficient and highly productive agricultural system; encourages local farms to diversify (inter alia by developing EU production of plant proteins);
Amendment 159 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Emphasises that EU agriculture must nowis adapting and must continue to adapt to the effects of the climate change currently taking place and prepare for its negative net impact on many regions of the Union;
Amendment 162 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)
Paragraph 12 a (new)
12a. Considers in this regard that the Union must develop a coherent strategy for agriculture to adapt to the two kinds of adverse climatic effects anticipated: - overall global warming; - more marked variations in climate conditions resulting in an increase in extreme weather events;
Amendment 173 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 – indent 2
Paragraph 13 – indent 2
- choosing crop varieties, particularly those selected for their ability to resist extreme weather events, and practising crop rotation according to considerations such as drought and disease;
Amendment 179 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 – indent 5
Paragraph 13 – indent 5
- monitoring and controlling insects and diseasedisease; in this context, there is a need to develop national and European instruments to monitor outbreaks and repeat outbreaks;
Amendment 182 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 – indent 5 c (new)
Paragraph 13 – indent 5 c (new)
- undertaking monitoring and control of insects; in this context, monitoring of invasiveness potential and cross compliance measures concerning plant health (increased controls at borders and sensitive locations such as tree nurseries and airports, biosecurity measures) must be developed;
Amendment 205 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15
Paragraph 15
15. Takes the view that the ‘new challenges’ of climate change, water management, renewable energies and biodiversity weare not fully taken on board at the time of the CAP Health Checkmajor issues affecting future generations, and that they should be addressed through all the CAP instruments, not just the ‘second- pillar’ subsidies;
Amendment 211 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Notes that the current cross-compliance system, which is based on a best efforts obligation rather than an obligation to achieve results, is both very complicated for farmers and inadequate as a response to environmental issues; takes the view that a new approach focusing oncontinuing work on improvements in efficiency which might lead to more sustainable production models should be adoptencouraged, necessitating compensatory aid to cover the extra costs arising from these objectives (local eco-certification contracts) and pay for the services rendered to society through the supply of ‘public goods’ (such as the preservation of rural areas, biodiversity conservation, carbon capture and food security) that are not rewarded by the market;
Amendment 236 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Considers it more essential than ever to strengthen risk and crisis management instruments and adapt them to increasing market volatility and growing climatic risks, and to introduce a genuine European policy on preventing and responding urgently to natural disasters; considers it the task of the Union to implement instruments of this kind, as the stability of its agricultural production volumes is a basic stabilising factor in world prices and therefore world food safety;