Green Deal
Intro to the issue
With its ambitious European Green Deal, the European Commission has fired the starting gun for the EU’s run towards a more sustainable, climate-neutral future. Farmers across the EU face myriad challenges every day: they must produce the high-quality, safe, and affordable foods that consumers demand, while simultaneously protecting and using less of the earth’s valuable – and limited – natural resources. That’s no small task when you consider that food crops must compete with 30,000 species of weeds, 3,000 species of nematodes and 10,000 species of plant-eating insects.
Agricultural innovation such as pesticides, biopesticides, digital tools, plant biotechnology empower farmers and enables them to grow crops sustainably and efficiently.
Our industry is committed to providing farmers with a variety of solutions they can use to improve crop yields and maintain quality while protecting the environment. We believe innovation is key in producing enough food sustainably. We all want to deliver on the promise of Farm to Fork and contribute to the sustainable production model in Europe.
Why this is a priority for us?
On average it takes up to 12 years or more for any innovation in agriculture to reach the market. Pests or disease pressure simply can’t wait that long for a suitable solution to arrive. Agricultural innovation needs a robust regulatory framework that embraces innovation and delivers solutions to the market in a timely manner.
Our role is to provide growers with the largest toolbox possible, so that they can choose the production model they want to use, knowing it is safe for the environment, for consumers and for themselves.
There is no one solution that is more important than the other. We believe sustainable farming is achieved through a holistic approach, offering integrated pest management solutions and access to all types of technologies.
What are we doing about it
The strategies detailed in the EU Green Deal, along with the targets suggested in the supporting Farm to Fork Strategy and Biodiversity Strategy, call on the agri-food system to transition to a more sustainable model.
Our industry is fully committed to the identified direction of travel. To that end we have launched #2030Commitments which will guide the sector for the next decade in key areas of agricultural innovative technologies, the circular economy and better protection of people and the environment.
We are committed to deliver on what we have set out for and call on the European Commission to support sustainable agriculture with appropriate regulatory framework allowing the innovation to reach the European farmers.
