Description
- The Commission’s proposal on Soil Monitoring and Resilience (Soil Monitoring Law) is a positive step towards increasing protection and enhancing the condition of soils across Europe. Nonetheless, this must be achieved while simultaneously ensuring farmers are adequately supported in facing the many challenges tied to agricultural productivity.
- An EU-wide soil monitoring framework must take into account soil use and soil function by introducing a land use category for “agricultural productive land”, which should include agricultural sustainability indicators.
- Properly incentivising farmers to engage in sustainable soil management can be achieved through introducing a gradual soil health score, as well as introducing a toolbox of best practices, as opposed to lists of mandatory practices.