Niveau juridique : Union européenne
Texte de la question :
« Under current EU agricultural policy it is clear that ecological considerations will shape rural development and agricultural production. Organic production methods deliver goods to the market driven by demand for organic products, and serve the public interest by contributing to environmental protection, animal welfare and rural development. In this context, agricultural regulations aim to have a multifaceted impact on the productive, social and ecological functions of agriculture, which are linked to the costs incurred by farmers for complying with environmental requirements or for taking action which helps to protect the environment. This requires the development of a system of financial incentives to encourage environmentally-friendly behaviour by agricultural producers. The implementation of operations which meet the individual interests of beneficiaries and operations which meet the collective interests of the inhabitants of rural areas should be linked to the development of those areas.
1. How does the Commission intend to respond, therefore, to the need to implement greater financial incentives for farmers than has been the case thus far, with a view to shifting farms towards organic production methods?
2. In its long-term policy to support organic farming, is the Commission considering mechanisms which would minimise the risk of a downward trend in organic farming areas?
3. What action is the Commission taking to improve the monitoring of organic products imported into the European Union? »
Réponse de Mr Wojciechowski pour le compte de la Commission européennes :
« Both the Farm to Fork and the Biodiversity Strategy point at organic farming as an environmentally friendly production method that needs to be promoted. They include an explicit target in this respect: 25% of the EU agricultural area as organic by 2030. To support the achievement of this target, the Commission has adopted on 25 March 2021 the Action Plan for the Development of Organic Production1. It foresees 23 actions to stimulate organic production, and consumption, as without increases in demand there will be no conversion and increases in surfaces.In particular, Member States are invited to set ambitious national targets for the agricultural area under organic farming and define measures in support of those targets, both national as well as within the framework of the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP). To increase EU support to organic farming, and respond to the relevant recommendations issued by the European Commission in December 20202, Member States are encouraged to design measures, such as eco-schemes, investments and advisory services to support farmers that want to convert to organic farming or maintain such practices. Regarding imports, in 2017, the Commission has already put in place a monitoring system of imports from third countries based on the newly featured electronic certificate of inspection. It also carries out regular audits of control bodies in Member States and third countries to verify the correct implementation of the EU organic legislation. The aforementioned action plan also presents several actions aiming at reinforcing controls on imports to ensure the integrity of the organic label. »
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