News food security
BBB: Food scarcity looms with war
Now that 'the granaries of Europe' Russia and Ukraine are at war and the prices of oil, gas and food are skyrocketing, according to Caroline van der Plas (BBB), food shortages are lurking. She poses parliamentary questions about food security to the ministers Staghouwer (LNV), Adriaansens (Economic Affairs), Jetten (Climate Affairs) and Hoekstra (Foreign Affairs) and asks them what they are going to do about this.
The Boer Citizen Movement states that Russia and Ukraine produce 80% of global sunflower oil exports, about 25% of wheat and 20% of maize. The war has also pushed the prices of palm oil and soy to record highs.
"Can you reflect on the military-strategic advantages of our agricultural sector?", the MP asks the ministers. She wants to know the state of food self-sufficiency within the EU, what the European and global food supply is and whether 'it is sustainable to have dependencies in our food supply on Russia, China and other anti-Western states'.
Falling food production due to high fertilizer prices
The sharp price increases of gas and oil are causing a sharp rise in the prices of fertilizers and artificial fertilisers. Van der Plas points out the danger that many farmers will use less fertilizer due to the high costs, resulting in lower harvests, declining food production and higher food prices in the coming years. BBB believes that the accelerated transition to organic, circular and extensive farming should be postponed to ensure food security.
Linda van Eekeres
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