2015/2225(INI) | [ParlTrack]

Motion for a resolution
Citation -1 (new)

-1 having regard to the TFEU1a, Art. 11, Art. 114(3), Art. 168(1) and Art.191; ___________ 1a OJ C 326, 26.10.2012, p. 47–390

Amendment 10 #

Motion for a resolution
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 100 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3 a (new)

3 a. Calls on industry to exploit the opportunities arising from innovation to develop PF capabilities which are accessible to all, thus empowering people with disabilities, promoting gender equality and broadening the skills base and employment opportunities in rural communities;

Amendment 101 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Welcomes the inclusion of PF robotics in the newly published Horizon 2020 work programme for 2016-2017 but regrets that proposals under this call do not require a multi-actor approach and thus will not access innovative approaches developed by farmers;deleted

Amendment 102 #

Nicola CAPUTO, Paolo DE CASTRO, Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, Michela GIUFFRIDA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4

4. Welcomes the inclusion of PF robotics in the newly published Horizon 2020 work programme for 2016-2017 ~~but regrets that proposals under this call do not require a multi-actor approach and thus will not access innovative approaches developed by farmers~~;

Amendment 103 #

Peter JAHR, Albert DESS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 – subparagraph 1 (new)

emphasises that PF cuts resource use by at least 15%;

Amendment 104 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)

4a. Welcomes the progress made by the European Space Agency (ESA) in developing PF; takes the view that the ESA's Sentinel 2B satellite, which is to be placed in orbit in late 2016, will give a very clear picture of the amount of land taken up by crops and forests, with the result that agricultural policies can be monitored and implemented more effectively, the use of water and fertilisers can be rationalised and optimum harvesting periods can be identified; calls on the Commission and the Member States to support the use of satellite-based systems which can, in the context of farming, optimise the use of resources, reduce energy costs and facilitate the work of farmers, while increasing productivity and generating benefits for the environment;

Amendment 105 #

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 2

~~Big dataandinformatics~~PF technologies and their contribution to soil water and nutrient management

Amendment 106 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Emphasises that the collation and analysis of large integrated data sets has the potential to drive innovation in agriculture and is particularly useful in addressing and developing an efficient food-chain that will benefit farmers, the economy ~~and~~, consumers and the environment;

Amendment 107 #

Daniel BUDA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

Amendment 108 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5

5. Emphasises that the collation and analysis of large integrated data sets has the potential to drive innovation in agriculture and is particularly useful in addressing and developing an efficient and sustainable food-chain that will benefit farmers, the economy and consumers;

Amendment 109 #

Peter JAHR, Norbert LINS, Albert DESS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Points out that the farming industry, like all other sectors of the economy, is undergoing a process of change; emphasises that modern farming was made possible only by the acceptance of scientific and technological progress and that digital 4.0 likewise offers the possibility of further development in the farming sector;

Amendment 11 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

~~A. whereas the global population is expected to reach 9.6 billion by 2050, meaning there will be 2.4 billion extra people to fe~~deleted;

Amendment 110 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 a (new)

5 a. Recognises soil degradation as a major constraint in agricultural production and calls for greater ambitions and efforts to improve soil nutrient and water management practices, particularly in light of climate change; highlights the importance of new technologies, combined with traditional approaches, to optimise yields, sustain and improve soil fertility;

Amendment 111 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 b (new)

5 b. Welcomes the development of Controlled Traffic Farming (CTF) technologies, which reduces damage to soils caused by repeated agricultural machinery passes on the land;

Amendment 112 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 c (new)

5 c. Welcomes recent efforts aimed at integrating high resolution remote sensing technologies into organic farming;

Amendment 113 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 d (new)

5 d. Calls on industry in the public research base to include farmers in the design, test and dissemination in soil nutrient mapping technologies to help improve their effectiveness;

Amendment 114 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 5 e (new)

5 e. Regrets that the efficiency of nutrient use in the EU is very low and action is needed to improve the efficiency of nitrogen (N), phosphorous (P) and Potassium (K) use, to reduce their impact on the environment while improving food and energy production; calls for targeted research (and its applied use) on improving nutrient efficiency monitoring and the further optimisation of variable rate technologies;

Amendment 115 #

Jasenko SELIMOVIC

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Is of the view that the loss of genetic diversity over the past century threatens food/feed security and undermines EU policies on sustainable agriculture, biodiversity protection and adaptation strategies under climate change; considers all plant and animal varieties, including landraces and their wild relatives, as essential for maintaining genetic diversity, breeding programmes and the production of nutritious and sufficient food; is therefore worried by the current administrative and regulatory burdens, such as the difficulty in having a technique-based legislation instead of an outcome-based legislation, which leads to obsolete rules and major obstacles for the plant breeding sector;

Amendment 116 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

Amendment 117 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Is of the view that the loss of genetic diversity over the past century threatens food/feed security and undermines EU policies on sustainable agriculture, biodiversity protection and adaptation strategies under climate change; believes that the move to mono cultures and the lack of crop rotations is the biggest single factor in this loss; considers all plant and animal varieties, including landraces and their wild relatives, as essential for maintaining genetic diversity, breeding programmes and the production of nutritious and sufficient food;

Amendment 118 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

6. Is of the view that the loss of genetic diversity over the past century threatens food/feed security and undermines EU policies on sustainable agriculture, biodiversity protection and adaptation strategies under climate change; considers all plant and animal varieties, including landraces and their wild relatives, as essential for maintaining genetic diversity, breeding programmes and the production of nutritious and sufficient food; is of the view that EU regulation should enable farmers and breeders to make the best use of such genetic resources to safeguard biodiversity and innovation in developing new varieties, therefore EU regulations should always aim to not undermine such innovative processes by putting unnecessary administrative burden on breeders and farmers;

Amendment 119 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

Amendment 12 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas the global population is e~~xpec~~stimated to reach 9.6 billion by 2050, meaning there will be around 2.4 billion extra people t~~o feed~~han today;

Amendment 120 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

Amendment 121 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6

Amendment 122 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 6 a (new)

6a. stresses the importance for the European Union of promoting the storage and conservation of old or pioneer varieties for the preservation of genetic diversity;

Amendment 123 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

~~7. Stresses the need for greater dialogue between genetic banks and end-users in order to build resilience and support for sustainable food production throughout Europe;~~deleted

Amendment 124 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Stresses th~~e need for greater dialogue between genetic banks and end-users in order to build resilience and support for sustainable food production throughout Europe~~at EU consumers are increasingly calling on farmers to practice organic and environmentally sound agriculture, to farm in harmony with nature and the environment, and thus to maintain the high added value of EU production in world markets and the unique character of EU-origin products while rejecting genetic engineering technologies;

Amendment 125 #

Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, Paolo DE CASTRO, Eric ANDRIEU, Nicola CAPUTO, Tibor SZANYI, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Momchil NEKOV

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Stresses the need for greater dialogue between genetic banks, research, breeders and end-users in order to build resilience and support for sustainable food production throughout Europe;

Amendment 126 #

Nicola CAPUTO, Paolo DE CASTRO, Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, Michela GIUFFRIDA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7

7. Stresses the need for greater dialogue between genetic banks ~~and end-users~~, private and public plant research and breeding, end-users and all other actors involved in the conservation and use of genetic resources, in order to build resilience and support for sustainable food production throughout Europe;

Amendment 127 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)

7a. Points out that the EU's seed banks contain a significant quantity of genetic material which could be used for plant research and to produce new varieties, in order to meet the challenges of sustainable farming;

Amendment 128 #

Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, Eric ANDRIEU, Tibor SZANYI, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Momchil NEKOV

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Highlights the previous support from DG Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) and DG Research and Innovation (RTD) for genetic resource conservation activities, ~~e.g. the European Native Seed Conservation Network (ENSCONET),~~ but calls for successor programmes to continue the support for crop and livestock genetic conservation activities in order not to lose the significant EU dialogue and momentum gained;

Amendment 129 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Highlights the previous support from DG Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) and DG Research and Innovation (RTD) for genetic resource conservation activities, e.g. the European Native Seed Conservation Network (ENSCONET), but calls for successor programmes to continue the support for crop and livestock genetic conservation activities, including the use of genetic resources through on farm measures, in order not to lose the significant EU dialogue and momentum gained;

Amendment 13 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS

Motion for a resolution
Recital A

A. whereas ~~the global population is expected to reach 9.6 billion by 2050, meaning there will be 2.4 billion extra people to feed;~~ our societies are facing multiple challenges in which agriculture is involved and must play its part. These challenges are: the food challenge: worldwide food security must be ensured in terms of both quantity and quality (health and nutritional quality increasingly linked with health in order to deal with malnutrition, obesity, cardio-vascular disease, etc.); the environmental challenge: we need to respond to the depletion and degradation of natural resources (land, water, air, biodiversity, natural mines, etc.) and to manage them better; the climate challenge: global warming is generating extreme weather events that result in droughts or floods causing substantial damage to the population groups affected and posing severe risks for their food security; the energy challenge: as fossil fuels run out we must give serious thought now to meeting our future energy needs by means of renewable energy sources and to improving our energy efficiency;

Amendment 130 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Highlights the previous support from DG Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) and DG Research and Innovation (RTD) for genetic resource conservation activities, e.g. the European Native Seed Conservation Network (ENSCONET), but calls for successor programmes to continue the support for crop and livestock genetic conservation activities in order not to lose the significant EU dialogue and momentum gained; stresses the importance of opening up the conservation of genetic resources to a greater diversity of plant and animal species;

Amendment 131 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Highlights the previous support from DG Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) and DG Research and Innovation (RTD) for genetic resource conservation activities, e.g. the European Native Seed Conservation Network (ENSCONET), but calls for successor programmes to continue the support for crop and livestock genetic conservation activities in order not to lose the significant EU dialogue and momentum gained and in order to ensure that research funding genuinely results in technological improvements for agriculture and horticulture;

Amendment 132 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8

8. Highlights the previous support from DG Agriculture and Rural Development (AGRI) and DG Research and Innovation (RTD) for genetic resource conservation activities, e.g. the European Native Seed Conservation Network (ENSCONET), but calls for successor programmes to continue the support for crop and livestock genetic conservation activities in order not to lose the significant EU dialogue and momentum gained; calls on the Commission to put forward proposals for the European strategy for the safeguarding of genetic diversity in agriculture provided for in Measure 10 of the 'EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2020';

Amendment 133 #

Motion for a resolution
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 134 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9

9. Recognises the need to use germplasm collections responsibly 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 135 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9 a (new)

9 a. notes that the most effective way to maintain genetic diversity in agriculture is by using it in vivo; notes that of the three "D.U.S." criteria applied to official EU seed catalogues, Uniformity and Stability are not natural characteristics in genetically diverse plants; notes that adaptation to climate change is dependent upon high genetic variation; notes the increasingly concentrated seed markets and decreased variation per variety; encourages the role played by farm seed systems and exchanges to empower farmers, and recognises participative breeding as a long tradition of innovation in rural communities;

Amendment 136 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Recognises the necessity of maintaining and using genetic resources for long-term food security and to broaden the genetic base of modern plant and animal breeding programmes; supports the concept of access and benefit sharing but urges pragmatic and enabling implementation of Regulation (EU) No 511/2014 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1866 so that, without exploiting or disempowering rural communities who have stewarded species and bred varieties throughout the years, breeders are not deterred by complexity and cost from using wild material to introduce new traits such as pest and disease resistance, nutritional quality and environmental resilience;

Amendment 137 #

Daniel BUDA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Recognises the necessity of maintaining and using genetic resources for long-term food security and to broaden the genetic base of modern plant and animal breeding programmes; supports the concept of access and benefit sharing but urges pragmatic and enabling implementation of Regulation (EU) No 511/2014 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1866 so that breeders are not deterred by complexity and cost from using wild material to introduce new traits such as pest and disease resistance, nutritional quality and environmental resilience; insists on the need to maintain and develop the performance of local breeds, given their ability to adapt to the characteristics of their native environment;

Amendment 138 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Recognises the necessity of maintaining and using genetic resources for long-term food security and to broaden the genetic base of modern plant and animal breeding programmes; supports the concept of access and benefit sharing but urges pragmatic and enabling implementation of Regulation (EU) No 511/2014 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1866 ~~so that breeders are not deterred by complexity and cost from using wild material to introduce new traits such as pest and disease resistance, nutritional quality and environmental resilience~~;

Amendment 139 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10

10. Recognises the necessity of maintaining and using genetic resources for long-term food security and to broaden the genetic base of modern plant and animal breeding programmes; recognises that organic farms face a shortage of new varieties that are resistant to pests and diseases and which could be cultivated without the use of toxic plant protection products; supports the concept of access and benefit sharing but urges pragmatic and enabling implementation of Regulation (EU) No 511/2014 and Implementing Regulation (EU) 2015/1866 so that breeders are not deterred by complexity and cost from using wild material to introduce new traits such as pest and disease resistance, nutritional quality and environmental resilience;

Amendment 14 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)

A a. Whereas the EU's population is likely to remain stable;

Amendment 140 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10 a. Also recognises the need for crop diversity for European agriculture, to support suitable crop rotations that remain profitable for farmers. In addition to genetic resources, the need to maintain a range of suitable crop protection tools for a broad range of crops is also highlighted; without such tools, the diversity of crops that can be produced profitably will be severely impacted;

Amendment 141 #

Motion for a resolution
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 142 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 10 a (new)

10a. Takes the view that introducing genetically modified organisms into the European ecosystem would represent a serious and irreversible step towards the impoverishment of genetic diversity and would undermine biodiversity;

Amendment 143 #

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 4

~~Precision breeding~~deleted

Amendment 144 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Supports the need for continuous progress in plant and animal breeding to increase not only the range of pest- and disease-resistant traits in crops, but also the range of food raw materials with nutritional and health-beneficial characteristics on the market; recognises the importance of marker-assisted selection (MAS) and SMART breeding, which are now well-integrated into many breeding programmes, but also the potential offered by precision breeding for crop improvement, such as the use of zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) and CRISPR in genome editing, oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis (ODM) and the use of CMS hybrids in protoplast fusion or tissue culture based methods;deleted

Amendment 145 #

Philippe LOISEAU, Laurenţiu REBEGA, Edouard FERRAND

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

Amendment 146 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

Amendment 147 #

Marijana PETIR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Supports the need for continuous progress in plant and animal breeding through the application of safe and proven techniques to increase not only the range of pest- and disease-resistant traits in crops, but also the range of food raw materials with nutritional and health- beneficial characteristics on the market; recognises the importance of marker-assisted selection (MAS) and SMART breeding, which are now well-integrated into many breeding programmes, but also the potential offered by precision breeding for crop improvement, such as the use of zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) and CRISPR in genome editing, oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis (ODM) and the use of CMS hybrids in protoplast fusion or tissue culture based methods;

Amendment 148 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Supports the need for continuous progress in plant and animal breeding to increase not only the range of pest- and disease-resistant traits in crops, but also the range of food raw materials with nutritional and health-beneficial characteristics on the market; recognises the ~~importa~~existence of marker-assisted selection (MAS) and SMART breeding, which are now well-integrated into many breeding programmes, ~~but~~and also t~~he potential offered by precision breeding for crop improvement~~akes account of the emergence of precision breeding, such as the use of zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) and CRISPR in genome editing, oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis (ODM) and the use of CMS hybrids in protoplast fusion or tissue culture based methods;

Amendment 149 #

Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, Eric ANDRIEU, Tibor SZANYI, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Momchil NEKOV

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Supports the need for continuous progress in plant and animal breeding to increase not only the range of pest- and disease-resistant traits in crops, but also the range of food raw materials with nutritional and health-beneficial characteristics on the market; recognises the importance of marker-assisted selection (MAS) and SMART breeding, which are now well-integrated into many breeding programmes, but also the potential offered by ~~precision breeding for~~ crop improvement, techniques such as the use of zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) and CRISPR in genome editing, oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis (ODM) and the use of CMS hybrids in protoplast fusion or tissue culture based methods;

Amendment 15 #

Luke Ming FLANAGAN

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas global food production must increase by 60-110 % to meet this demand and one of the most effective ways of meeting this anticipated demand while not depleting scares resources is by harnessing Technological solutions to tackle food waste, currently estimated to be in the region of 100 million tons within the EU and according to the FAO at around 33% globally;

Amendment 150 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Supports the need for continuous progress in plant and animal breeding to increase not only the range of pest- and disease-resistant traits in crops, but also the range of food raw materials with nutritional and health-beneficial characteristics on the market; recognises that precision breeding is of particular importance on farms practicing organic and environmentally sound agriculture; recognises the importance of marker- assisted selection (MAS) and SMART breeding, which are now well-integrated into many breeding programmes, but also the potential offered by precision breeding for crop improvement, such as the use of zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) and CRISPR in genome editing, oligonucleotide- directed mutagenesis (ODM) and the use of CMS hybrids in protoplast fusion or tissue culture based methods;

Amendment 151 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

11. Supports the need for continuous progress in plant and animal breeding to increase not only the range of pest- and disease-resistant traits in crops, but also the range of food raw materials with nutritional and health-beneficial characteristics on the market; recognises the importance of marker-assisted selection (MAS) and SMART breeding, which are now well-integrated into many breeding programmes, but also the potential offered by precision breeding for crop improvement, such as the use of zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) ~~and CRISPR in genome editing~~, oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis (ODM) and the use of CMS hybrids in protoplast fusion or tissue culture based methods;

Amendment 152 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11

Amendment 153 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 a (new)

11 a. acknowledges that new GMOs derived by techniques such as zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs), CRISPR/Cas and oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis (ODM) do not yet have a long history of safe use, and that due care should be taken in approval processes for plants obtained using them;

Amendment 154 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 b (new)

11 b. notes that the so-called "new breeding techniques" are not yet as reliable as conventional breeding to achieve lasting desired phenotype changes, due to unintended changes in the genotype following introduction of genetic material, which can result in instability under high stress conditions, or unwanted side effects on proteins and metabolites based inter alia on a paucity of knowledge of plant repair mechanisms;

Amendment 155 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 11 c (new)

11 c. notes the concerns raised about both off-target and also on-target changes with unintended effects on the whole genome, inter alia with regard to plant repair mechanisms and considerable knowledge gaps therein;

Amendment 156 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

~~12. Emphasises that it is crucial not to hamper the application of high-precision breeding techniques – without scientific reason – by subjecting them to unnecessary regulatory oversight;~~deleted

Amendment 157 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

Amendment 158 #

Philippe LOISEAU, Laurenţiu REBEGA, Edouard FERRAND

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

Amendment 159 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

Amendment 16 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas ~~global food production must increase by 60-110 % to meet this deman~~this 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 160 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

Amendment 161 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

Amendment 162 #

Marijana PETIR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Emphasises that it is crucial ~~not to hamper the application of high-precision breeding techniques – without scientific reason – by subjecting them~~, and in keeping with the precautionary principle, to investigate and appropriately regulate high-precision breeding techniques before they are applied in view of their possible effects on human health, on the health and wellbeing of animals, and on the environment and biodiversity, as their widespread use cannot subsequently be hampered or subjected to unnecessary regulatory oversight;

Amendment 163 #

Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Emphasises that ~~it is crucial not to hamper~~ the application of high-precision breeding techniques ~~– without scientific reason – by subjecting them to unnecessary regulatory oversight~~requires a political evaluation and decision regarding its regulatory oversight, based on a sound scientific basis;

Amendment 164 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12

12. Emphasises that it is crucial not to hamper ~~the application of~~experiments involving high- precision breeding techniques ~~– without scientific reason –~~ by subjecting them to ~~unn~~excess~~ary~~ive regulatory oversight;

Amendment 165 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12 a. Recognizes opportunities for new technologies for targeted trait development and selection in animals including those with welfare and health benefits, such as hornless cattle or resistance to prion diseases;

Amendment 166 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12 a (new)

12 a. Emphasises that organisms resulting from the application of high-precision breeding techniques are subject to the requirements of Directive 2001/18/EC;

Amendment 167 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Considers it timely for the Commission to publish the final report of the ‘New Techniques’ working group and to use its scientific findings as the basis for clarifying the legal status of the breeding techniques currently under scrutiny;deleted

Amendment 168 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

Amendment 169 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Considers it timely for the Commission to publish the final report of the ‘'New Techniques’ working group and to use ~~its~~ scientific findings as ~~the~~a basis, among others, for clarifying the legal status of the breeding techniques currently under scrutiny;

Amendment 17 #

Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas ~~global food production must increase by 60-110 % to meet this demand~~the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has estimated that the predicted rise in the world's population to 9 billion by 2050 would require increasing food production and supply by approximately 60 %, and whereas on average at least one third of the food produced is wasted, reaching nearly a half in some sectors;

Amendment 170 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13

13. Considers it timely for the Commission to publish the final report of the ‘New Techniques’ working group and to use ~~its~~ scientific findings, as well as sound legal analysis, as the basis for clarifying the legal status of the breeding techniques currently under scrutiny;

Amendment 171 #

Philippe LOISEAU, Laurenţiu REBEGA, Edouard FERRAND

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

~~14. Encourages open and transparent dialogue among all stakeholders and the public for the responsible development of high-precision, innovative solutions for breeding programmes;~~deleted

Amendment 172 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

~~14. Encourages open and transparent dialogue among all stakeholders and the public for the responsible development of high-precision, innovative solutions for breeding programmes;~~deleted

Amendment 173 #

Daniel BUDA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Encourages open and transparent dialogue among all stakeholders and the public for the responsible development of high-precision, innovative solutions for breeding programmes; encourages breeders in their efforts to consolidate and diversify existing species and calls on the Commission and Member States to create flexible legislative frameworks that will facilitate breeding programmes;

Amendment 174 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Encourages open and transparent dialogue among all stakeholders and the public for the responsible development of ~~high-precision,~~ innovative solutions for breeding programmes;

Amendment 175 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Encourages open and transparent dialogue among all stakeholders and the public for the responsible development of high-precision, innovative solutions for breeding programmes; therefore disapproves of the current decision of the Enlarged Board of Appeal of the European Patent Office (EPO) of 25 March 2015 in Cases G2/12 and G2/13;

Amendment 176 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

Amendment 177 #

Mairead McGUINNESS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14

14. Encourages open and transparent dialogue among all stakeholders and the public for the responsible development of high-precision, innovative solutions for breeding programmes, this will require efforts to raise awareness and understanding of new techniques among farmers and the public generally; calls on the Commission to ensure that consumers and farmers are sufficiently educated in new and emerging breeding techniques to ensure that an open and informed public debate can take place;

Amendment 178 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)

14a. Calls on the Commission to make proposals concerning the production and sale of seeds, to enable wider use to be made of all genetic resources, particularly those comprising heterogeneous material; considers that everybody should have access to these resources where they are in the public domain;

Amendment 179 #

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 5 a (new)

Calls for more efforts to be made to develop more cost-effective alternatives for an integrated pest management system by supporting field research and more demonstration into non-chemical alternatives and low-risk measures and pesticides which are more environment- friendly; calls on the European Commission to come forward with an action plan and to set up an expert group in order to work towards a more sustainable pest management system; stresses that farmers need to have a bigger toolbox at hand to protect their crops and to decide which measure will best protect their crops; highlights the potential of a pest management that improves the interaction between plant breeding efforts, natural combat systems and pesticide use; notes that biological control mechanisms relating to pests and diseases could reduce the use of pesticides and may contribute to better plant resilience;

Amendment 18 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas ~~global food production must increase by 60-110 % to meet this demand~~it must be guaranteed that farmers in each country are able to produce food for that country's population;

Amendment 180 #

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 5 b (new)

Points out the need to review the implementation of the regulatory framework for PPPs and to develop a coherent, efficient, predictable, risk-based and scientifically robust approvals system; stresses the need to harmonize the approval system within the zonal system set up by EU Reg. 1107/2009;

Amendment 181 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Stresses the urgent need to review the implementation of the regulatory framework for PPPs and to develop a coherent, efficient, predictable, risk-based and scientifically robust approvals system, noting that production of food and feed operates in a competitive, international environment, and inappropriate regulation will increase imports to Europe;

Amendment 182 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Stresses the urgent need to review the implementation of the regulatory framework for PPPs and to ~~develop a coher~~apply the current regulations as intended by the legislators so as to make the approvals system coherent, fair, transparent and independent, efficient, predictable, hazard and risk-based and scientifically robust ~~approvals system~~; stresses the need to align guidance documents such as those on negligible exposure with the intention and precautionary approach of the regulation as adopted by Parliament and Council;

Amendment 183 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. ~~Stresses the urgent need~~Considers it necessary to reduce consumption of plant protection products in Europe by cutting their use and by developing alternatives to their use; however, because in many cases their use remains the only solution available to farmers, it seems desirable to review the implementation of the regulatory framework for PPPs and to develop a stronger, coherent, efficient, predictable, risk-based and scientifically robust assessment and approvals system;

Amendment 184 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15

15. Stresses the urgent need to review the implementation of the regulatory framework for PPPs and to develop a coherent, efficient, predictable, risk-based and scientifically robust approvals system which assesses possible damage to health and the environment;

Amendment 185 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 a (new)

15a. Calls on the Commission to promote biocontrols, which are methods of protecting crops based on the use of living organisms or natural substances (macro- organisms: insects, nematodes; micro- organisms: viruses, bacteria, fungi; chemical messengers: pheromones; natural substances of animal, vegetable or mineral origin) in order to reduce the dependence of farming on pesticides;

Amendment 186 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 15 b (new)

15b. Considers it important to reduce farmers' dependence on pesticides as much as possible and to develop other alternatives on grounds of health (farmers are often the first victims of them) or the environment (soil, water and air pollution) or for economic reasons; notes that these plant protection products which are placed on the market by increasingly concentrated private undertakings are becoming more and more expensive because of the growing importance of investment in research into increasingly complex molecules which prompts undertakings that produce these substances to abandon research into certain production sectors, creating technical impasses for farmers;

Amendment 187 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS

Motion for a resolution
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 188 #

Motion for a resolution
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 which will take greater account of health and environmental concerns;

Amendment 189 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Calls on the Commission to include in its report to Parliament and the Council options for amending and improving the current legislation~~, and in particular on the functioning of mutual recognition of authorisations and the zonal evaluations process~~;

Amendment 19 #

Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, Eric ANDRIEU, Tibor SZANYI, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Momchil NEKOV

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas global food production must ~~increase by 60-110 %~~adapt to meet this demand;

Amendment 190 #

Paolo DE CASTRO, Nicola CAPUTO, Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Calls on the Commission to include in its report to Parliament and the Council options for amending and improving the current legislation, and in particular on the functioning of mutual recognition of authorisations ~~and~~, the zonal evaluations process and authorisations for uses of secondary importance and minor crops;

Amendment 191 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17

17. Calls on the Commission ~~to include in its report to~~, Parliament, and the Council ~~options for amending and improv~~systematically to observe the precautionary principle when implementing the current legislation, ~~and~~ in particular on the functioning of mutual recognition of authorisations ~~and the zonal evaluations process~~;

Amendment 192 #

Esther HERRANZ GARCÍA, Pilar AYUSO, Ramón Luis VALCÁRCEL SISO, Anthea McINTYRE

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17 a. Underlines the concern that the zonal authorisations system is not functioning due to the continued use of outdated national authorisation methodologies and calls on the Commission to promote the use of common evaluation procedures to ensure mutual recognition of products across the Member States in the zones identified in Regulation 1107/2009;

Amendment 193 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)

17 a. Regrets that the new fund for "minor uses" is not exploited as expected since it does not cover projects of research and innovation, but only work of coordination between Member States, losing its attractiveness; asks the European Commission to seek solutions to solve the problems arisen for " minor uses " and to remedy the shortcomings of the new fund;

Amendment 194 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Highlights the importance of fairly and openly assessing the ~~benefi~~impacts of active substances ~~in support~~with a view to ensuring sustainable agriculture ~~as well as~~in line with EU law, and comprehensively evaluating the risk and hazards associated with the use of products, including all adverse effects described in published, peer-reviewed scientific literature;

Amendment 195 #

Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, Eric ANDRIEU, Nicola CAPUTO, Tibor SZANYI, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Momchil NEKOV

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Highlights the importance of assessing the benefits of active substances in supporting sustainable agriculture as well as the risk and hazards associated with the use of products, and recalls that the precautionary principle should be used when the degree of uncertainty is too high to ensure public health or good agricultural and environmental conditions;

Amendment 196 #

Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, Paolo DE CASTRO, Eric ANDRIEU, Tibor SZANYI, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Momchil NEKOV

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18

18. Highlights the importance of assessing the benefits of active substances in supporting sustainable agriculture as well as the risk and hazards associated with the use of products; calls, in particular, for assessments to cover not just the impact of each individual product, but also the overall impact of all the products used in a given area;

Amendment 197 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 18 a (new)

18 a. Stresses the urgent need for adequate funding and coordination to address the lack of crop protection solutions for minor uses and specialty crops, while welcoming the Integrated Pest Management -European Research Area Network (IPM-ERANET) working package 3;

Amendment 198 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Calls on DG Health and Food Safety (SANTE) to establish clear criteria for defining low-risk active substances ~~for the development and use of low-risk pesticides while considering the number of existing substances that could also qualify as low- risk~~that do not harm human health or biodiversity or pollute water used for the development of products used in agro-ecological production;

Amendment 199 #

Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Momchil NEKOV

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Calls on DG Health and Food Safety (SANTE) to establish clear criteria for defining low-risk active substances for the development and use of low-risk pesticides, whilest considering ~~the number of existing substances that could also qualify as~~evolving scientific knowledge and ensuring that the objectives of health and environmental protection are met, and to ensure that safety data are present for the criteria applied for all potential low- risk substances;

Amendment 2 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 a (new)

- having regard to Regulation (EU) 1305/2013 of the European Parliament and the Council of 17 December 2013 on support for rural development by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and repealing Council Regulation (EC) No 1698/20051a ; ___________ 1a OJ L 347, 20.12.2013, p. 487

Amendment 20 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital B

B. whereas global food ~~production must~~needs could increase by 60-110 % ~~to meet this demand~~in response to this rise;

Amendment 200 #

Philippe LOISEAU, Laurenţiu REBEGA, Edouard FERRAND

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19

19. Calls on DG Health and Food Safety (SANTE) to ~~establish clear~~apply the precautionary principle systematically and in a responsible way by spelling out the criteria for defining ~~low-risk~~safe active substances for the development and use of ~~low-risk~~ pesticides ~~while considering the number of existing substances that could also qualify as low- risk~~, guaranteeing complete security as regards consumer health, the environment, and ecosystems, and keeping the risk levels of active substances permanently under review, taking into account the most recent scientific studies;

Amendment 201 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19 a (new)

19a. Recalls that it is important to durably secure a legal framework favourable to the use of natural preparations which give rise to little concern, which have the advantage of being inexpensive and unpolluting;

Amendment 202 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Takes the view that low-risk substances should be given provisional approval for use and priority for evaluation by the rapporteur Member States and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to help meet the aims of Directive 2009/128/EC regarding the sustainable use of pesticides, especially for product use on minor and speciality crops;deleted

Amendment 203 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

Amendment 204 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Takes the view that low-risk substances should be given ~~provisional approval for use and~~ priority for evaluation by the rapporteur Member States and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to support implementation of IPM to help meet the aims of Directive 2009/128/EC regarding the sustainable use of pesticides, especially ~~for product~~ use on minor and speciality crops;

Amendment 205 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Takes the view that low-risk substances should be given provisional approval for use and priority for evaluation by the rapporteur Member States and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to help meet the aims of Directive 2009/128/EC regarding Integrated Pest Management and the sustainable use of pesticides, especially for product use on minor and speciality crops;

Amendment 206 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20

20. Takes the view that low-risk substances should ~~be given provisional approval for use and priority for evaluation by the rapporteur Member States and the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to~~ help meet the aims of Directive 2009/128/EC regarding the sustainable use of pesticides, ~~especially~~also for product use on minor and speciality crops;

Amendment 207 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 20 a (new)

20 a. regrets that the approval process for non-chemical alternatives to plant protection products such as biological controls and nature-based solutions is the same as for conventional synthetic pesticides and biocides; notes the huge success of biological and nature-based pest controls, especially in the fruit sector; calls on the Commission therefore for the proportional easing of these restrictions on non-chemical alternatives, notwithstanding due attention to be given to avoid release of alien species;

Amendment 208 #

Motion for a resolution
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 209 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Notes that a faster approvals process would increase the availability of low-risk pesticides on the market, stimulate industry research into the development of new low-risk substances and enable farmers to switch more rapidly to sustainable PPPs;deleted

Amendment 21 #

Motion for a resolution
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 210 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

Amendment 211 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

Amendment 212 #

Paolo DE CASTRO, Nicola CAPUTO

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Notes that ~~a faster approvals process would increase the availability of low-risk pesticides on the market, stimulate industry research into the development of new low-risk substanc~~low risk pesticides are a last resort in IPM, and calls for stimulating research into the development of alternatives to synthetic pesticides and enableing farmers to switch more rapidly to sustainable ~~PPPs~~pest management;

Amendment 213 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Notes that a faster approvals process would increase the availability of low-risk PPPs and pesticides on the market, ~~stimulate industry research into the development of new low- risk substances and enable farmers~~reduce the risk of the development of resistance to active ingredients, stimulate industry research into the development of new low- risk active ingredients, including new, innovative low-risk substances, thus ensuring farmers have sufficient plant- protection tools at their disposal and enabling them to switch more rapidly to sustainable PPPs;

Amendment 214 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Notes that ~~a faster~~the approvals process ~~would increase the availability of low-risk pesticides on the market, stimulate ind~~for pesticides mustry re~~search into the development of new low-risk substances and enable farmers to switch more rapidly to sustainable PPPs~~main completely transparent and objective and seek above all to guarantee safety and health;

Amendment 215 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Notes that ~~a faster approvals process would increase the availability of low-risk pesticides on the market, stimulate industry research into the development of new low-risk substances and~~there is a need to draw up strategies and introduce incentives which enable farmers to switch more rapidly to sustainable PPPs;

Amendment 216 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21

21. Notes that a faster and enabling approvals process would increase the availability of low-risk pesticides on the market, including biopesticides, stimulate industry research into the development of new low- risk substances and enable farmers to switch more rapidly to sustainable PPPs;

Amendment 217 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)

21 a. Notes that because of unintended non-target effects of pesticides on beneficial bacteria, fungi, arthropoda, nematodes and other groups of species in agro-ecosystems, natural defence and nutrition mechanisms useful for the crop plants may be severely compromised; Notes further that this leads to limited efficacy of IPM, and also increased susceptibility to future pest attack;

Amendment 218 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)

21 b. Notes the reductions in efficacy of active substances due to evolution of biologically inevitable resistance linked to overuse of commonly used pesticides, including emergence of "superweeds"; Cautions therefore against prophylactic application of pesticides and advocates rather a cascade approach via IPM whereby pesticides are a last resort after physical, non-chemical and biological control methods;

Amendment 219 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 c (new)

21 c. Regrets the slow progress of the member states and Commission to respectively implement and evaluate implementation of IPM and directive 2009/128/EC;

Amendment 22 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

~~C. whereas there is a pressing demand to produce more, as well as safe and nutritious, food for EU and global citizens;~~deleted

Amendment 220 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 d (new)

21 d. Calls on EFSA to ensure stringent and independent risk assessment, in line with applicable guidance and regulations; Calls for an independent panel of scientists to review EFSA’s risk assessment of glyphosate, so as to identify the reasons behind opposite conclusions by IARC and EFSA regarding its carcinogenic properties, in order for EFSA to regain the trust of the public in its public health mission;

Amendment 221 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 e (new)

21 e. Questions the resource efficiency of using glyphosate as a ripening and drying agent for grain crops, due to the non target effects of this practice, in particular effects on soil microorganisms and on pest resistance;

Amendment 222 #

Motion for a resolution
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 223 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 22

22. Recognises that the development of agri-related technologies requires a multitude of skills sets 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, but also oceaonoloy, which has the potential of providing resources for agriculture;

Amendment 224 #

Motion for a resolution
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 and other relevant stakeholders in the design of their next Rural Development Programmes, including European Innovation Partnerships (EIPs), to identify opportunities to support skills development and knowledge transfer in these areas;

Amendment 225 #

Motion for a resolution
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 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;

Amendment 226 #

Motion for a resolution
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 227 #

Motion for a resolution
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 and other relevant stakeholders in the design of their next Rural Development Programmes to identify opportunities to support skills development and knowledge transfer to farmers and market gardeners in these areas;

Amendment 228 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 23 a (new)

23 a. Calls for publically funded extension of farm advisory services independent of input industries, to offer advice on all options available to farmers, and to respect the principles of IPM in advising a cascade of measures that use pesticides as a last resort

Amendment 229 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Calls on the ~~agricultural technologies sector to improve coordination and integration of on-farm demonstrations and u~~Commission and Member States to launch a public research programme for the development of agro- ecology based o~~f demons~~n the tradition ~~and monitor farms to share best practice~~al knowledge and know-how of farmers;

Amendment 23 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas there is a pressing demand to produce ~~more, as well as safe~~safe, healthy and nutritious, food ~~for EU and global citizens~~;

Amendment 230 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24

24. Calls on the agricultural technologies sector to improve coordination and integration of on-farm demonstrations and use of demonstration and monitor farms to share best practice on regional, national and European level using currently available or new programmes, initiatives or resources;

Amendment 231 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 24 a (new)

24a. Takes the view that investing in the development of agricultural technologies may attract younger people to farming, thus fostering generational change;

Amendment 232 #

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 7 a (new)

Recognises the potential that precision farming and digital technology integration can have in making agriculture more attractive for young farmers and creating new opportunities for growth and employment in rural areas;

Amendment 233 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Recognises the long-term challenges associated with sustainable agriculture and calls on the Commission and the Member States to develop a long-term investment plan~~, with continuity of funding, for basic and applied research~~ for the development of agro-ecology and the necessary infrastructure for the processing and sale of products in short supply chains;

Amendment 234 #

Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Recognises the long-term challenges associated with sustainable agriculture and calls on the Commission and the Member States to develop a long-term investment plan, with continuity of funding, for basic and applied research, and asks the Commission and Member States to collaborate to improve further training for specialists and workers in sustainable agriculture, and to ensure that expert consultation is available;

Amendment 235 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Recognises the long-term challenges associated with sustainable agriculture and horticulture, and calls on the Commission and the Member States to develop a long- term investment plan, assigning priority to a sectoral approach, with continuity of funding, for basic and applied research;

Amendment 236 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25

25. Recognises the long-term challenges associated with sustainable agriculture and calls on the Commission and the Member States to develop a long-term investment plan, with continuity of funding, for basic and applied research; considers that the plan should, in addition, be such as to be applicable to small-scale producers, rural areas, the outermost regions, and mountain regions;

Amendment 237 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)

25 a. Emphasizes that farmers are the major stewards of the environment in Europe and need continued access to innovation and research, enabling them to produce food, feed and other products sustainably while protecting the environment for future generations, enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem services;

Amendment 238 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 25 a (new)

25 a. Calls for the agricultural sector to diversify away from high cost solutions into low cost, effective practices to ensure sustainable solutions that are less capital intensive, more cost-effective and reach the same sustainability goals;

Amendment 239 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Welcomes the progress made in applied research in recent years, but calls for greater efforts to involve farmers and other users of agricultural technologies and products; notes that in Member States where public-private partnerships are promoted there has been a greater shift towards applied research and a higher involvement of end-users;deleted

Amendment 24 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas there is a pressing demand to produce more, as well as safe and nutritious, food for EU and global citizens by using natural resources more frugally;

Amendment 240 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Welcomes the progress made in applied research in recent years, but calls for ~~greater efforts to involve farmers and other users of agricultural technologies and product~~the European Innovation Partnership for competititve and sustainable agriculture, contained in the second pillar of the CAP, to be stepped up, which will make it possible to create partnerships of innovative actors, including farmers; notes that in Member States where public- private partnerships are promoted there has been a greater shift towards applied research and a higher involvement of end- users;

Amendment 241 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Welcomes the progress made in applied research in recent years, but calls for greater efforts to involve farmers and other users of agricultural technologies and products. with particular emphasis on those who have smaller farms further away from European decision-making centres; notes that in Member States where public-private partnerships are promoted there has been a greater shift towards applied research and a higher involvement of end-users;

Amendment 242 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26

26. Welcomes the progress made in applied research in recent years, but calls for greater efforts to involve farmers and other users of agricultural technologies and products; notes that in Member States where public-private partnerships are ~~promoted~~used intelligently there has been a greater shift towards applied research and a higher involvement of end-users;

Amendment 243 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 26 a (new)

26 a. Notes that in the 7th Framework Programme for EU-funded research, funding available for agri-biotech based mainly upon chemical inputs is 426.7 million Euro or 67% of EU agricultural research spending, while organic farming techniques were only allotted 44.6 million Euro or 7% of EU agricultural research spending;

Amendment 244 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Considers it essential for the Commission and the Member States to develop projects which ~~focus exclusively on the development of more resource- efficient crop varieties~~provide trailblazing answers in this connection, especially given the increasing scarcity of water availability and certain key components of fertilisers such as phosphate;

Amendment 245 #

Paolo DE CASTRO, Nicola CAPUTO, Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Considers it essential for the Commission and the Member States to develop projects ~~which focus exclusively on the~~, aimed both at develop~~ment of~~ing more resource- efficient crop varieties and focusing on soil improving cropping systems, especially given the increasing scarcity of water availability and certain key components of fertilisers such as phosphate;

Amendment 246 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Considers it essential for the Commission and the Member States to develop projects in line with the concept of 'conservation farming' which focus exclusively on the development of more resource- efficient crop varieties and the conservation and improvement of soil structure, especially given the increasing scarcity of water availability and certain key components of fertilisers such as phosphate;

Amendment 247 #

Daniel BUDA, Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Considers it essential for the Commission and the Member States to develop projects which focus exclusively on the development of more resource- efficient ~~crop varieties~~nutrient exchange, especially given the increasing scarcity of water availability and certain key components of fertilisers such as phosphate; research on crop nutrition approaches should focus on e.g. closed loop nutrient cycling, and fertlility based on natural processes in a healthy living soil, instead of depending on inefficient artificial inputs, of which the majority are not absorbed by plants and are lost in soil and water;

Amendment 248 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Considers it essential for the Commission and the Member States to develop projects which focus exclusively on the development of more resource- efficient crop varieties, especially given the increasing scarcity of water availability and certain key components of fertilisers such as phosphate; calls on the Commission to give particular priority to investment in the circular economy, with a view to making efficient use of existing resources;

Amendment 249 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Considers it essential for the Commission and the Member States to develop projects which focus exclusively on the development of ~~more resource- efficient crop varieties, especially given the increasing scarcity of water availability and certain key components of fertilisers such as phosphate;~~local crop varieties and plant-breeding techniques that improve soil quality, with a view to increasing water retention and reducing dependence on external fertilisers

Amendment 25 #

Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, Eric ANDRIEU, Tibor SZANYI, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Momchil NEKOV

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas there is a pressing demand to produce more, as well as safe and nutritious, food for EU and global citizens, which must be reconciled with concerns over rapid degradation of natural ressources;

Amendment 250 #

Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Momchil NEKOV

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Considers it essential for the Commission and the Member States to develop projects which focus ~~exclusively~~ on the development of more resource- efficient crop varieties, especially given the increasing scarcity of water availability and certain key components of fertilisers such as phosphate, as well as on climate-smart farming practices, with adequate funding incentives for research and uptake by farmers; the merits of aquaponics, as a system for optimized management of water, energy and nutrients, should be duly evaluated, divulged and incentivised;

Amendment 251 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Considers it essential for the Commission and the Member States to develop ~~projects which focus exclusively on the~~innovative projects to produce food and non-food products (bio- economy, renewable energy, etc.) and services to develop~~ment of~~ a more resource- efficient ~~crop varieties, especially given the increasing scarcity of water availability and certain key components of fertilisers su~~agriculture (better use of water, energy, food for crops and animals, etc.), and one which ais ~~phosphate~~more autonomous;

Amendment 252 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

Amendment 253 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27

27. Considers it essential for the ~~Commission and the~~ Member States to develop projects which focus exclusively on the development of more resource- efficient and locally specialised crop varieties, especially given the increasing scarcity of water availability and certain key components of fertilisers such as phosphate;

Amendment 254 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 27 a (new)

27 a. Calls for more research into sustainable food production systems including closed loop nutrient cycling, short feed chains, pasture based grazing, low input production and increasing input independence to reduce production costs, soil science, and non-chemical and biological control options for plant protection;

Amendment 255 #

Paul BRANNEN

Motion for a resolution
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 256 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. Notes that throughout much of the EU, independent or publically-funded centres for education, training and innovation in agriculture have declined or do not adequately cater for transdisciplinary approaches in emerging fields such as agricultural engineering;

Amendment 257 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28

28. Notes that throughout much of the EU, centres for education, training and innovation in agriculture have declined or do not adequately cater for transdisciplinary approaches in emerging fields such as agricultural engineering; recognises that in some Member States farmers' qualifications are still limited, making access to, and the application of, new technologies more difficult, and therefore calls on the Commission to draw up a European plan for investment in technical or higher-level agricultural training and education;

Amendment 258 #

Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, Eric ANDRIEU, Paolo DE CASTRO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Nicola CAPUTO, Tibor SZANYI, Momchil NEKOV

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 28 a (new)

28 a. Welcomes the recently launched European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural productivity and Sustainability (EIP-AGRI), with the aim of linking research and practical farming, and calls on the Commission to have an active role in boosting coordination, at the national and cross-border level, in order to promote an explicit innovation agenda linked to Horizon 2020 and to guarantee the adequate transfer of knowledge towards the end users;

Amendment 259 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29

~~29. Encourages the Commission and the Member States to develop Trans- European Centres for Agricultural Innovation that would deliver much needed progress towards food security and sustainability;~~deleted

Amendment 26 #

Paolo DE CASTRO, Nicola CAPUTO, Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS

Motion for a resolution
Recital C

C. whereas there is a pressing demand to produce more, ~~as well as~~ safe and nutritious, food for EU and global citizens;

Amendment 260 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29

29. Encourages the Commission and ~~the~~ Member States to do more to raise public awareness of the value of farming in the EU, to develop Trans-European Centres for Agricultural Innovation that would de~~liver~~monstrate and deliver projects to bring about much needed progress towards food security and sovereignty and sustainability;

Amendment 261 #

Philippe LOISEAU, Laurenţiu REBEGA, Edouard FERRAND

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29

29. Encourages ~~the Commission and the~~ Member States to develop Trans-European Centres for Agricultural Innovation that would deliver much needed progress towards food security and sustainability;

Amendment 262 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29

29. Encourages the Commission and the Member States to develop Trans-European Centres for Agricultural Innovation that would deliver much needed progress towards food security and sustainability; the activities of these centres should be transparent and open to the general public as well as farmers, and should have a trans-sector approach, fostering dialogue between sectors that may be impacted differentially by innovation, e.g. mitigating confrontation between the arable crops sector and the beekeeping sector;

Amendment 263 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29

29. Encourages the Commission and the Member States to develop Trans-European Centres for Agricultural Innovation that would deliver much needed progress towards food security and sustainability; maintains that a higher proportion of EU investment should be channelled towards research in areas related to sustainable organic farming;

Amendment 264 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29

29. Encourages the ~~Commission and the~~ Member States to develop Trans-European Centres for Agricultural Innovation that would deliver much needed progress towards food security and sustainability;

Amendment 265 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)

29 a. Enables appropriate access to innovative new technologies not only for sustainable agriculture but also sustainable rural development by working within communities, rural SMEs, co- operatives and producer organisations;

Amendment 266 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 29 a (new)

29a. Urges the Commission to ensure that, alongside technological and scientific innovations, traditional techniques and farms can continue - wherever justified - to survive, given that these are an immense asset, being a source of cultural, rural, historical, and tourism diversity, and provide a livelihood for numerous European small-scale farmers in a whole variety of regions;

Amendment 267 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 30

30. Calls on the Member States to make better use of the financial instruments (FI) created under the joint EC-EIB Memorandum of Understanding in respect of agriculture and rural development for the period 2014-2020, believes however that this should not be a substitute for ensuring a viable return from the marketplace and urges the commission to address the imbalance in the food chain;

Amendment 268 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 31

31. Emphasises the added value associated with these instruments, especially in terms of leverage effects and loan guarantees aimed at boosting the implementation of the sustainable agriculture and forestry research agenda, including societal challenge 2 of Horizon 2020; ~~cites, in particular, their usefulness for reducing the investment needs and risks for farmers wishing to adopt expensive PF technology and methods;~~

Amendment 269 #

Paul BRANNEN

Motion for a resolution
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 27 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

C a. whereas there are many alternatives for land use including urbanization, industry, tourism and recreation which compete with farming;

Amendment 270 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

Amendment 271 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

Amendment 272 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

32. Notes that rural areas, and in particular agriculture, are most exposed to actual and potential climate change; recognises that agr~~iculture must be allowed to adapt to meet changing circumstances using all available technological solutions~~o-ecological farming can make a major contribution to mitigating climate change;

Amendment 273 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

32. Notes that rural areas, and in particular agriculture, are most exposed to actual and potential climate change, which makes them less attractive and more exposed to trends such as depopulation and aging of their population; recognises that agriculture must be allowed to adapt to meet changing circumstances using all available technological solutions;

Amendment 274 #

Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

Amendment 275 #

Motion for a resolution
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 solutionsthe agricultural sector are not immune to actual and potential climate change, and therefore calls for efforts to be made to find sustainable, environment-friendly ways of farming, meeting the expectations of consumers and society, and for the necessary investment to be provided for that purpose, while systematically abiding, however, by the precautionary principle where genetically modified organisms are concerned;

Amendment 276 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32

32. Notes that rural areas, the outermost regions, 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;

Amendment 277 #

Herbert DORFMANN

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 32 a (new)

32a. Regards it as essential to preserve farmland in problem areas such as mountainous and peripheral areas in the Union, too, and therefore backs all action to ensure that the mainly small-scale holdings there also have access to high tech tailored to their needs;

Amendment 278 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33

~~33. Considers it essential that emerging technologies are not stifled by unnecessary and burdensome regulation before they have a chance to deliver benefits;~~deleted

Amendment 279 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33

~~33. Considers it essential that emerging technologies are not stifled by unnecessary and burdensome regulation before they have a chance to deliver benefits;~~deleted

Amendment 28 #

Philippe LOISEAU, Laurenţiu REBEGA, Edouard FERRAND

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

C a. whereas because short food chains are more resilient, the prevalent approaches to food security have evolved to rather empower different regions of the world to feed themselves;

Amendment 280 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33

~~33. Considers it essential that emerging technologies are not stifled by unnecessary and burdensome regulation before they have a chance to deliver benefits;~~deleted

Amendment 281 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33

~~33. Considers it essential that emerging technologies are not stifled by unnecessary and burdensome regulation before they have a chance to deliver benefits;~~deleted

Amendment 282 #

Marijana PETIR

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33

33. Considers it essential that emerging technologies are adequately investigated, before they enter widespread use and in accordance with the precautionary principle, in terms of the possible risks that they pose to human and animal health and their impact on the environment and biodiversity, so that they are not stifled by unnecessary and burdensome regulation ~~befor~~once they have ~~a chance to deliver benefits~~entered use;

Amendment 283 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33

33. Considers it essential that emerging technologies remain in the EU, are not stifled by unnecessary and burdensome regulation ~~before they have a chance to deliver~~, and are allowed to demonstrate and deliver their value and benefits;

Amendment 284 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33

33. Considers ~~it essential that emerging technologies are not stifled by unnecessary and burdensome regulation before they have a chance to deliver benefits~~that strict but reasonable EU regulation, oriented towards consumer safety and health and environmental protection, enables EU farm produce to be competitive and attractive on the internal and world markets, and calls for that principle to continue to hold good;

Amendment 285 #

Philippe LOISEAU, Laurenţiu REBEGA, Edouard FERRAND

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 33 a (new)

33 a. Considers that in keeping with EU law and treaty obligations, it essential to protect citizens' health and the environment while considering the potential benefits of emerging technologies in a fair, open and balanced way, taking into account long term impacts and externalities, using review systems based on independent, peer- reviewed science;

Amendment 286 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34

~~34. Notes in particular the high cost, long timescales and commercial uncertainty of bringing new technologies and products to market under current EU regulations;~~deleted

Amendment 287 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34

~~34. Notes in particular the high cost, long timescales and commercial uncertainty of bringing new technologies and products to market under current EU regulations;~~deleted

Amendment 288 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34

34. Notes in particular th~~e high cost, long timescales and commercial uncertainty of bringing new technologies and products to market under current EU regulations~~at new technologies and products that may impact on human or animal health and/or cause environmental damage should be duly assessed before being brought to market in the EU or released into the environment;

Amendment 289 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34

34. Notes in particular the high cost, long timescales and commercial uncertainty of bringing new technologies and products to market under current EU regulations; notes that these facts are even more clearly evident in the ORs, rural areas, less favoured areas, and mountain areas;

Amendment 29 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas agricultural raw materials offer prospects for growth in green chemistry;

Amendment 290 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 34

34. Notes in particular the high cost, long timescales and commercial uncertainty of bringing new technologies and sustainable products to market under current EU regulations;

Amendment 291 #

Philippe LOISEAU, Laurenţiu REBEGA, Edouard FERRAND

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 35

35. Calls on the Commission to improve its regulatory framework in line with the principles of Better Regulation to ensure timely, efficient and effective decision- making procedures, which could contribute to geographically-balanced technological development in the EU;

Amendment 292 #

Paul BRANNEN

Motion for a resolution
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;

Amendment 293 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36

36. Calls on the Commission to use its new Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM) to design a regulatory framework which places greater emphasis on risk-based and scientific evidence when determining the balance between benefits and risks in the adoption of new technologies, products and practices;deleted

Amendment 294 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36

Amendment 295 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36

36. Calls on the Commission to use its new Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM) to design a regulatory framework which places greater emphasis on ~~risk-based and scientific evidenc~~the precautionary principle when determining the balance between benefits and risks in the adoption of new technologies, products and practices;

Amendment 296 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36

36. Calls on the Commission to use its new Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM) to ~~design~~refine a regulatory framework which places greater emphasis on ~~risk-based and~~independent scientific evidence when ~~determin~~assessing risks ing the ~~balance between benefits and risks in the adoption~~adoption of new technologies, products and practices; Calls on the Commission to foresee post- authorisation adapted field-based monitoring for the verification of the quality of the risk assessments of new technologies, products and practices;

Amendment 297 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36

36. Calls on the Commission to ~~use its new Scientific Ad~~continue to provicde Mechanism (SAM) to design a regulatory framework which places greater emphasis on risk-based and scientific evidence when determining the balance between benefits and risks in the adoption of new technologies, products and practicesa strict regulatory framework, oriented towards the expectations of consumers and taxpayers and giving effect to the principle of reasonable precaution by allowing new products to enter the market once their impact on consumer health and safety and the environment has been gauged and assessed;

Amendment 298 #

Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Momchil NEKOV

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 36

36. Calls on the Commission to use its new Scientific Advice Mechanism (SAM) to design a ~~regulatory framework which places greater emphasis on~~ risk-based ~~and~~, scientific ~~evidence when determining the balance between benefits and risks in~~regulatory framework for the adoption of new technologies, products and practices;

Amendment 299 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37

~~37. Notes broad support for the adoption of the Innovation Principle, which would require EU legislative proposals to be fully assessed in terms of their impact on innovation;~~deleted

Amendment 3 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 2 b (new)

- having regard to Directive 2001/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 12 March 2001 on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms and repealing Council Directive 90/220/EEC1a ; ___________ 1a OJ L 106 , 17.04.2001, p. 0001

Amendment 30 #

Daniel BUDA, Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

Ca. whereas the EU's high food quality standards enjoy worldwide recognition;

Amendment 300 #

Philippe LOISEAU, Laurenţiu REBEGA, Edouard FERRAND

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37

~~37. Notes broad support for the adoption of the Innovation Principle, which would require EU legislative proposals to be fully assessed in terms of their impact on innovation;~~deleted

Amendment 301 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37

37. ~~Notes broad support~~Calls for the adoption of the Innovation Principle, which would require EU legislative proposals to be fully assessed in terms of their impact on innovation while taking note of implied costs to society as well as potential benefits and respecting the Treaty obligation to protect the health of citizens and the environment;

Amendment 302 #

Daniel BUDA, Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37 a (new)

37 a. Calls for wider economic impacts to be considered when evaluating emerging agricultural technologies, including long- standing externalities such as costs of pollution especially waterborne pollution, decreased ecosystem functioning, impacts on the renewable but finite natural resources upon which agricultural productivity is based such as biodiversity and soil, and impacts on other primary sectors, notably fisheries

Amendment 303 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37 a (new)

37a. Calls on the Commission to take more wide-ranging action in the field of scientific cooperation at international level, also with a view to intensifying the exchange of information and identifying development opportunities;

Amendment 304 #

Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, Paolo DE CASTRO, Tibor SZANYI, Nicola CAPUTO, Momchil NEKOV

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 37 a (new)

37a. Urges the Commission to utilise and enhance all the characteristics of the ORs by carrying out pilot projects in the field of technological and scientific innovation aimed at reducing their natural disadvantages and, given their small scale, the difficulty of gaining access to and applying the latest scientific and technological developments;

Amendment 31 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C a (new)

C a. whereas sustainable agriculture requires the combination of environmental, social and economic criteria, for which technological solutions may be one important contributor;

Amendment 32 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital C b (new)

C b. whereas farming encompasses a range of land management approaches including smallholdings, grazing and cultivation, fruit, tree or annual field and horticultural crops, and structures for animal housing or greenhouses;

Amendment 33 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas 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, however, that market competitive pressure has shown that technical solutions alone will not alleviate the pressure on natural resources, it will merely increase the financial incentive to produce more;

Amendment 34 #

Motion for a resolution
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 35 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D

D. whereas agriculture accounts for 70 % of the world’s fresh water use, and water availability and the effective use of irrigation systems is already a major limitation on agricultural production in some regions of the EU and globally;

Amendment 36 #

Nicola CAPUTO, Paolo DE CASTRO, Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, Michela GIUFFRIDA

Motion for a resolution
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 37 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

Da. whereas making farming more sustainable is becoming an ever more important objective for operators, given the need to control costs in order to safeguard incomes, on the one hand, and to enhance the protection of environmental resources, on the other;

Amendment 38 #

Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, Eric ANDRIEU, Nicola CAPUTO, Tibor SZANYI, Momchil NEKOV

Motion for a resolution
Recital D a (new)

D a. whereas agricultural practices impact on the biological, chemical and physical quality of soils, with consequences over soil erosion and fertility;

Amendment 39 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital E

E. whereas ~~nitrogen fertilisers drive high yields but their manufacture accounts for about 50 % of the fossil fuel energy consumed by agricultural production systems~~the industrial model of agricultural production promoted by the common agricultural policy is highly dependent on energy based on fossil fuels, on imports of animal feedingstuffs and of pesticides and herbicides and on banks, and the solutions found up to now have made farms more and more dependent;

Amendment 4 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 6 a (new)

- having regard to Directive 2001/18/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on the deliberate release into the environment of genetically modified organisms and repealing Council Directive 90/220/EEC6a; ___________ 6a OJ L 106 , 17/04/2001 P. 0001 - 0039

Amendment 40 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas global energy demand is predicted to rise by 40 % by 2030 and research has shown that shorter agro- food chains can lead to reduced energy inputs with cost and environmental benefits;

Amendment 41 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F

F. whereas if the increase in energy consumption were to continue at its current rate, global energy demand ~~is predicted to~~would rise by 40 % by 2030;

Amendment 42 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)

Fa. whereas peak oil has already been reached;

Amendment 43 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F b (new)

Fb. whereas, furthermore, this development in the production model has eliminated many direct jobs in agriculture as well as indirect jobs, and precision or smart farming in the form proposed will worsen this dependence and lead to even more job losses;

Amendment 44 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital F c (new)

3c. whereas the serious problems affecting agriculture and rural communities and the impact that this industrial model is having on the environment can be reversed only by developing agroecological farming;

Amendment 45 #

Motion for a resolution
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 ahead~~climate change is affecting crop yields and leading to the emergence of new plant pests and diseases;

Amendment 46 #

Motion for a resolution
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 ahead~~steps must be taken to prevent this figure from increasing any further;

Amendment 47 #

Motion for a resolution
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 ahead~~, as a result of intensive farming practices, we are seeing each year a loss of yields which may be due to plant pests and diseases, but also to many other factors, including those connected with the degradation of soil structure and quality and the lack of systemic approaches to production and appropriate adaptation of existing production models;

Amendment 48 #

Motion for a resolution
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 ahead~~, while insufficient attention is being paid to looking for organic and environmentally sound forms of agriculture that can help combat plant pests and diseases in a manner which is sustainable and in harmony with nature;

Amendment 49 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)

G a. whereas dominant losses of crop yield are mainly due to climatic factors, some of which may affect pest population dynamics; whereas pests are attracted to and become problematic in large expanses of monocultures, and continuous cropping builds up pest populations in the soil and vegetation year-on-year; whereas therefore climate resilience in biologically and structurally diverse agro-ecosystems is desperately needed to spread risk;

Amendment 5 #

Philippe LOISEAU, Laurenţiu REBEGA, Edouard FERRAND

Motion for a resolution
Citation 8 a (new)

- having regard to the UN's International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development of the FAO, GEF, UNDP, UNEP, UNESCO, the World Bank and WHO;

Amendment 50 #

Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, Paolo DE CASTRO, Eric ANDRIEU, Nicola CAPUTO, Tibor SZANYI, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Momchil NEKOV

Motion for a resolution
Recital G a (new)

G a. whereas insufficient crop protection solutions for specialty crops endangers the quality, diversity and sustainable production of food crops in the EU, with serious consequences for employment and biodiversity loss, and a direct impact that has been estimated to account for more than €1 billion, including production loss and additional costs for farmers;

Amendment 51 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

~~H. whereas the EU’s genetic crop potential is not being consistently realised on Europe’s farms, where yields have plateaued in recent years;~~deleted

Amendment 52 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

~~H. whereas the EU’s genetic crop potential is not being consistently realised on Europe’s farms, where yields have plateaued in recent years;~~deleted

Amendment 53 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H

~~H. whereas the EU’s genetic crop potential is not being consistently realised on Europe’s farms, where yields have plateaued in recent years;~~deleted deleted

Amendment 54 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)

H a. Whereas the European Parliament rejected the Commission's proposal to enable member states to prohibit the sale and use of GM feed, particularly in view of the fact that the livestock sector in the EU is heavily dependent on GM imports of vegetable proteins, mainly soya and soymeal for feeding cattle, pigs and poultry;

Amendment 55 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)

H a. whereas the EU faces a plateauing and drop-off in intrinsic productivity and fertility, caused by land degradation and loss of ecosystem functions such as topsoil formation, humification, pollination, water retention and nutrient cycling ; whereas there is a broad consensus that to resolve this and maintain and improve productivity, there is a need to increase delivery of such ecosystem functions inter alia to ensure resilience against climate change;

Amendment 56 #

Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, Eric ANDRIEU, Nicola CAPUTO, Tibor SZANYI, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Momchil NEKOV

Motion for a resolution
Recital H a (new)

H a. whereas the diversity and quality of plant genetic resources play a crucial role in agricultural resilience and productivity, thus being a determining factor for long- term farming as well as food security;

Amendment 57 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas closing the EU's ‘yield gap’ poses a particular problem for the sustainable agriculture research agenda in the EU;

Amendment 58 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas ~~closing the ‘yield gap’ poses a particular problem for the~~there is a need for research into sustainable agriculture ~~research agenda~~;

Amendment 59 #

Viorica DĂNCILĂ

Motion for a resolution
Recital I

I. whereas closing the ‘yield gap’ poses a particular problem for the sustainable agriculture research agenda, and whereas a lack of interest can be seen among producers, along with a lack of training in sustainable agricultural practices;

Amendment 6 #

Mairead McGUINNESS

Motion for a resolution
Citation 10 a (new)

- having regard to the 2013 study by Science and Technology Options Assessment (STOA) 'Technology options for feeding 10 billion people';

Amendment 60 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital I a (new)

Ia. whereas technological solutions must be used to enhance an agricultural development model and a sustainable common agricultural policy that combines economic, environmental and social performance; whereas these solutions and alternatives exist to the current development model that now dominates in agriculture, and whereas they are based on technological change and changes in production models informed by agro- ecology (conservation farming, organic farming, integrated farming, agro- forestry, etc.); whereas these technological innovations must be strengthened to allow the development of the agricultural resources of all territories and must be accessible to all farmers;

Amendment 61 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. whereas precision farming involves the use of automation and other technologies to improve the precision and efficiency of key agricultural management practices, using systems-based approaches to collect and analyse data and optimise interactions between the weather, soil, water and crops, and is ultimately designed to lower pesticide, fertiliser and water usage whilst improving soil fertility and optimising yields;deleted

Amendment 62 #

Philippe LOISEAU, Laurenţiu REBEGA, Edouard FERRAND

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. whereas ~~precision farming involves~~ the use of automation and other technologies is one of the ways to improve the precision and efficiency of key agricultural management practices, using systems-based approaches to collect and analyse data and optimise interactions between the weather, soil, water and crops, and is ultimately designed to lower pesticide, fertiliser and water usage whilst improving soil fertility and optimising yields;

Amendment 63 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS

Motion for a resolution
Recital J

J. whereas precision farming involves the use of automation and other technologies to improve the precision and efficiency of key agricultural management practices, using systems-based approaches to collect and analyse data and optimise interactions between the weather, soil, water and crops, and is ultimately designed to lower pesticide, fertiliser and water usage; wh~~ilst improving soil fertility and optimising yields~~ereas these reductions in inputs must be part of a broader, more comprehensive readjustment of agricultural systems adapted to each ecosystem and each production region;

Amendment 64 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)

J a. whereas the benefits of innovative technologies should not be restricted to one type of agricultural practice and need to be applicable to all farming types, whether conventional or organic, livestock or arable, small or large-scale;

Amendment 65 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital J a (new)

J a. whereas precision farming may be an alternative to conventional herbicide application, yet it assumes a rather inert soil or highly impoverished communities of interacting species, or extreme stability and uniformity especially in crops; whereas an agro-ecological approach is based on a living soil, high species diversity and natural self-regulating processes that are able to buffer against and adapt to variations, meaning a healthy biodiverse agro-ecosystem is able to absorb shocks such as climatic volatility or nutrient fluctuations or growth of pest populations;

Amendment 66 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

~~K. whereas the approvals process, including the criteria for defining active substances, is becoming increasingly challenging for EU agriculture;~~deleted

Amendment 67 #

Paolo DE CASTRO, Nicola CAPUTO

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

K. whereas the approvals process, including the ~~criteria for defining~~approval of plant protection active substances, is becoming increasingly challenging for EU agriculture;

Amendment 68 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

K. whereas the approvals process, including the criteria for defining new and existing active substances, is becoming increasingly challenging for EU agriculture, due in part to the lack of standard assessment criteria throughout the EU and the excessive administrative burden, both at EU level and at internal level in the individual Member States;

Amendment 69 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

K. whereas the ~~approvals process, including the criteria for defining active substances, is becoming increasingly challenging for EU agriculture~~intensive, input-dependent agricultural model is becoming increasingly challenging, considering that the approvals process for pesticide active ingredients and products needs to ensure human, animal and environmental health;

Amendment 7 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 14 a (new)

- having regard to the Scientific opinion8a addressing the safety assessment of plants developed through cisgenesis and intragenesis; ___________ 8a EFSA Journal 2012;10(2):2561 [33 pp.]

Amendment 70 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

K. whereas the approvals process, including the criteria for defining active substances, ~~is becoming increasingly challenging for EU agriculture~~requires careful scientific assessment, including of their possible environmental impacts;

Amendment 71 #

Esther HERRANZ GARCÍA, Pilar AYUSO, Ramón Luis VALCÁRCEL SISO, Anthea McINTYRE

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

K. whereas it is crucial to continue ensuring the transparency of the approvals process in the EU, including the criteria for defining ~~active substances, is becoming increasingly challenging for EU agriculture~~safe quantities of active substances;

Amendment 72 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

K. whereas the number of pesticide active substances has been reduced by 70 percent between 1993 and 2009 while the presence of plagues have increased in the European Union, and the approvals process, including the criteria for defining active substances, is becoming increasingly challenging for EU agriculture ; given the need to urgently address the lack of active substances for « minor uses »;

Amendment 73 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS

Motion for a resolution
Recital K

K. whereas the approvals process, including the criteria for defining active substances and for new substances constituting an alternative to plant protection products, is becoming increasingly challenging for EU agriculture and citizens;

Amendment 74 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L

L. whereas short-term cycles in policy and research funding priorities can be detrimental to skills, infrastructure and innovation in agriculture; whereas priority should be given to all research programmes focused on improving the sustainability of agricultural development;

Amendment 75 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L a (new)

La. whereas technological solutions should make it possible to reduce production costs and increase competitiveness;

Amendment 76 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L a (new)

L a. whereas organic farming and other agro-ecological approaches represent a fusion of longstanding successful techniques with innovative ones, based on living, self-regenerating and self- strengthening biologically diverse systems;

Amendment 77 #

Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, Paolo DE CASTRO, Eric ANDRIEU, Nicola CAPUTO, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Tibor SZANYI, Momchil NEKOV

Motion for a resolution
Recital L a (new)

L a. whereas it is urgent to guarantee the efficient transfer of research findings from science to farmers;

Amendment 78 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L a (new)

L a. whereas there is a pressing need both to reduce the regulatory burden on farming and to respect the sovereign rights of the Member States, such that additional regulation promoting technical solutions should be avoided at all costs;

Amendment 79 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L b (new)

L b. whereas soil science shows us that healthy, living soils nurture and protect crops via beneficial species that defend against pathogens and pests and also provide plant crops with nutrients and water in exchange for sugars in plant root exudates; whereas biodiverse agro-ecosystems provide natural predators that regulate populations of plant pests;

Amendment 8 #

Motion for a resolution
Citation 16 a (new)

- having regard to its Motion for a Resolution of 14 December 2015 on patents and plant breeders' rights (2015/2981(RSP ));

Amendment 80 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L c (new)

L c. whereas synthetic fertlisers will cause a growth response if applied to degraded soils in poor health; in a healthy living soil that is already optimally cycling its own nutrients, no growth response is elicited upon artificial fertilisation; whereas synthetic fertilisers, as salts, have an effect on soil microorganisms, notably inhibiting soil-bound nitrogen-fixing bacteria;

Amendment 81 #

Motion for a resolution
Recital L d (new)

L d. whereas most of the applied synthetic fertliser is lost via water, causing pollution via eutrophication of freshwater bodies and triggering toxic algal blooms in seawater, which impact coastal economies via fishkills;

Amendment 82 #

Motion for a resolution
Subheading 1

~~Precision F~~Agroecological farming ~~(PF)~~

Amendment 83 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 (new)

-1. Notes that low technology techniques may be less capital intensive in the short and long term, more established, less risky, more reliable and achieve the same goals with less resources than high technology ones; given the high endebtedness and precarious market situation among farmers, where costs of production sometimes do not even meet farmgate prices, lower tech effective solutions should be equally promoted and supported.

Amendment 84 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 (new)

-1. Encourages the uptake of precision agriculture that provides new whole-farm management approaches, such as GPS/GNSS-technology driven machinery which, in combination with Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPASs), can work arable land to the nearest centimetre; agrees that these techniques could significantly reduce both the use of plant protection products and fertiliser and water use, and combat soil erosion; calls on the Commission and Member States to remove the barriers to adopting precision farming, in particular those linked to complex and fragmented ICT systems investment level issues, costs and training for their implementation; encourages Member States to support these practices, in particular by using the opportunities under the new rural development rules under Regulation (EU) No 1305/2013; encourages the Commission to quantify environmental and production benefit and to ensure awareness, knowledge and technology transfers;

Amendment 85 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 (new)

-1. Notes that agriculture sector has always developed and used new farm business models and practices including new techniques and production methods that have increased outputs and improved the adaptability of farming practices to new and changing circumstances; notes further that agriculture is a key part of our natural world which thus provides services – such as ecosystem services, for example nutrients cycling or carbon sequestration, that go beyond producing food and can be enhanced by fostering new developments; is convinced that innovation is a prerequisite for maintaining this progress;

Amendment 86 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph -1 (new)

-1. Is convinced that economic development and sustainable production are not mutually exclusive and are achievable through innovation; stresses the need to support innovation in technology and governance by providing regulatory coherence, clarity and room for entrepreneurship, and urges the European Commission to ensure that innovation is explicitly taken into account in forthcoming reviews and reforms of relevant legislation; highlights the fact that European agriculture is able to produce high-quality and high-added value products together with profitable, knowledge-based solutions in order to feed a growing and more demanding world population;

Amendment 87 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Considers PFagroecological farming 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 areas~~;

Amendment 88 #

Eric ANDRIEU, Jean-Paul DENANOT, Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS

Motion for a resolution
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 89 #

Motion for a resolution
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 small~~er and irregular farmland areas~~ farm types, whatever their size and production, whether crop and/or animal farming;

Amendment 9 #

Motion for a resolution
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 90 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1

1. Considers PF to be ~~essential~~important for achieving sustainable agriculture in the EU but recognises the constraints for its widespread adoption, including the reliability ~~and~~, manageability and limited knowledge of this technology and its adaptability to smaller and irregular farmland areas;

Amendment 91 #

Nicola CAPUTO, Paolo DE CASTRO, Michela GIUFFRIDA

Motion for a resolution
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 areas; thus encourages the European Commission to develop policies to stimulate the uptake of precision farming technologies for farms of all sizes to make use of the full potential of these technologies;

Amendment 92 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Takes the view that, if applied to conventional farming, the principles underpinning PF can generate significant benefits for the environment, increase farmers' incomes and rationalise the use of agricultural machinery;

Amendment 93 #

Peter JAHR, Albert DESS, Norbert LINS

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 – subparagraph 1 (new)

Emphasises that PF contributes to resource-efficient agriculture and should therefore be made available to all holdings, irrespective of their size;

Amendment 94 #

Nicola CAPUTO, Paolo DE CASTRO, Ricardo SERRÃO SANTOS, Michela GIUFFRIDA

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)

1a. Emphasises that precision irrigation can rationalise the use of water for irrigation, generating a 20% saving by comparison with traditional methods, and make irrigation significantly more efficient;

Amendment 95 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Highlights the particular need for the innovation process in ~~PF to solve the problem of ‘high cost’ in the development and use of some PF~~ agroecological farming to help solve employment problems, reduce oil dependency and reverse climate ch~~nologies an~~ange; likewise highlights the need for farmers to be actively involved in the development of th~~ese technologies to ensure clear benefits at farm level~~is type of farming to ensure that farms become less dependent and receive remunerative prices;

Amendment 96 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2

2. Highlights the particular need for the innovation process in PF to solve the problem of ‘'high cost’' in the development and use of some PF technologies and for ~~farmers~~the supply chain to be actively involved in the development of these technologies to ensure clear benefits at farm level;

Amendment 97 #

Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3

3. Calls on ~~industry,~~ the Commission and the Member States to work in partnership to ~~improv~~forge tahe ~~performance and adaptability of robotic and other PF techniques in order to increase demand and investment by farmers~~ad with techniques that will make it possible to develop agroecology in order to promote a change in the production model;

Amendment 98 #

Motion for a resolution
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 99 #