In focus areas
GBM ban is not just off the table
The arable sector reacted with dismay to the news that the Economic Commission released on Wednesday 14 June. The use of crop protection products in ecological focus areas will be discontinued. In practice, this means that crops such as alfalfa, field beans and soya may no longer be sprayed. That causes quite a few headaches.
In the Agriculture Committee of the European Parliament (EP) a large majority (30 to 11) voted against the PPP ban. In fact, this also voted against the entire package. Then there is always a plenary vote. Normally, the plenary EP follows the advice of the committee. That didn't happen this time, however. Parliament voted in favor of the package by 14 votes, an exceptionally narrow margin. European Commissioner Phil Hogan flew to Strasbourg himself at the last minute to lobby.
Exceptions to rule
"Officially, the ban is in force and will apply from the 2018 cultivation year," says Klaas Johan Osinga. He is a senior advisor at LTO Nederland and involved in Brussels affairs. "RVO will provide an explanation on this shortly. This topic will return to the EU agenda in the future, because it is politically controversial, possibly even in the Omnibus trilogue. The discussion about the CAP after 2020 must also be taken into account. "This discussion has been going on for a while. There are a number of exemptions for greening. That will remain the case. For example, if there is less than 15 hectares of arable land. These exemptions will not change."
Discussion not on level
Not spraying crop protection products applies to the 5% ecological focus area. Hectares of green manure or protein crops that fall outside the 5% limit may therefore be sprayed with, for example, a herbicide or insecticide. Green manures may also be sprayed after the 10-week deadline. "LTO has also tried to get an exemption for legumes and marigolds. Since banning plant protection products in these areas has a negative effect on the environment," says Osinga. "That was not successful, because there is no substantive discussion in this area. The European Environmental Bureau (EEB), the lobby club of green NGOs in Brussels, simply says: grow a different crop. That shows the level of the discussion which we are dealing with. In the Netherlands, this club includes the Vogelbescherming, Natuurmonumenten and Natuur en Milieu."
Soy cultivation good argument
Monday, July 17, it was announced that the Netherlands was cooperating with the soy statement signed to underline the ambition that the EU would like to supply itself with GMO-free soy. The decision of the European Commission does not rhyme with this. "European soy cultivation fits within the discussion", Osinga thinks. "There is broad support for cultivation in countries such as Germany and France. In Europe, and certainly in the Netherlands, we have the option of certifying non-modified soy. In South America, this can never be 100% guaranteed."
Mixing green manures
The GBM measure falls within the first 'omnibus'. This package is now closed. The second package, which is currently on the table, includes the measure for mixing species in green manures. That too is a measure that the European Parliament would like to see disappear. Osinga, however, expects that there will only be a definitive answer in 2018. "Parliament and agriculture ministers differ on many subjects. New meetings will be held in September and October, in which hopefully the matter will be discussed in more detail. During the last meeting, at the end of June, that did not happen at all."
Make good use of CAP budget
Osinga advises farmers to make a good decision. "The more you show that good things are happening with the CAP money, the more likely you are to keep the budget going," he says. "We are faced with an impending Brexit, green NGOs that purely opt for the environment and climate and with a European Union that needs money for, among other things, migration policy. The Dutch government wants to spend as little as possible on Brussels and does not look at what you can do in Brussels. can earn back."
Niels van der Boom
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