News Climate
Strict goals for agriculture no buyer at COP26
The COP26 global climate conference, which concluded last weekend, should also have serious consequences for agriculture. Especially in the emission of greenhouse gases, as can be read in many reports. The European Commission sees the agreement as confirmation of the policy that has been initiated, in particular of the Farm-to-Fork (F2F) strategy of deputy chairman Frans Timmermans.
Outside the EU, the same conclusion is not reached everywhere. President Joe Biden's government in the US does not want to restrict agriculture, but instead wants to use it as a major 'carbon sink', in which the soil has to store large amounts of carbon. This is also a well-known idea in the Netherlands. Furthermore, the US, together with a group of 30 other countries, wants to focus strongly on innovation in order to achieve climate-smart agriculture and food systems. This requires $4 billion to be made available.
US against curbing meat consumption
Agriculture Minister Tom Vilsack, a Democrat, does not want campaigns to limit meat consumption. He also believes that limiting livestock is not necessary to limit emissions. Vilsack sees much more in capturing emissions with technical means and in the production of biogas. The US Secretary of Agriculture found China, Australia and many other countries in the southern hemisphere and in Asia at his side on this point.
Vilsack does not want to know anything about a smaller milk production either. "Dairy helps maintain sustainable food systems," he says. However, the US has co-signed a declaration to make the dairy sector climate neutral over a period of 30 years. Again, it was not difficult for Vilsack to find allies. Many countries find it much more important to have sufficient food available for their own population than to implement strict measures that have a depressing effect on food production.
Irish farmer's representative also critical
Paul O'Brien, a representative of the Irish Farmers Association, also cracked a critical note at the end of the conference about all kinds of requirements that farmers have to meet. “What's fair about adding demands and costs to farming families, while major coal producers and users in this world shirk their responsibilities? refuse to fulfill their obligations. Must we then bear their burdens?"
Klaas van der Horst
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