Greens’ top agriculture MEP trusts von der Leyen’s promises on sustainable farming

4 months ago 21

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen committed to making agriculture a part of the Green Deal while ensuring that farmers can make a living during negotiations with the Greens/EFA last week, the Greens’ coordinator for agriculture, Thomas Waitz, told Euractiv.

Waitz, an organic farmer, beekeeper, and forester, has been an MEP and a substitute in the Agriculture Committee (AGRI) since 2017. Re-elected for this term, he has taken over as coordinator of the Greens/EFA in AGRI, succeeding Germany’s Martin Häusling, who held the role for the last 15 years.

During her address to MEPs at the Parliament last week, von der Leyen remained vague on her sustainable plans for the agricultural sector, stating that specifics would be unveiled during the first 100 days of the new European Commission’s mandate.

However, Waitz told Euractiv on Monday (22 July) that he was “optimistic” about von der Leyen’s agri-food plans as she had committed to adopting sustainable farming policies during closed-door talks with the Greens, held as part of her bid to secure a second term as Commission president.

The Austrian MEP said von der Leyen had acknowledged that the agricultural sector had been “untouched” by the Green Deal and expressed willingness to “make it a part of the sustainable transition”.

Delaying anti-deforestation law, not “backtracking”

The previous Parliament’s mandate ended on a bitter note, as the Greens accused the von der Leyen-led Commission of backtracking on its strategy to make the agri-food sector more sustainable, the so-called Farm to Fork strategy.

They also decried the relaxation of new environmental rules of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

However, Waitz dismissed concerns that von der Leyen could reverse even more environmental policies, particularly the EU’s anti-deforestation regulation (EUDR), as pressure from EU governments and trade partners mounts to delay its implementation, pencilled for 2025.

The Austrian MEP does not believe that a “certain delay” in the enforcement of the rules would mean backtracking on the legislation.

Notably, he pointed out that national administrations and businesses continue to face uncertainty on the implementation since the Commission still needs to publish the final guidance documents and a benchmarking ranking countries in the EU and abroad in terms of the risk of deforestation.

Nevertheless, Waitz did not support the view expressed by the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) of delaying and reopening the proposal and said his “first option” would be to maintain the current timeline.

“A few months of delay to give companies a bit more time for implementation… for that I have a certain understanding,” said Waitz.

Fair remuneration

In line with von der Leyen’s speech last week, Waitz also expressed a need to improve farmers’ remuneration.

“We need to build a bridge between making agriculture more climate- and environment-friendly while making sure farmers can make a proper living,” said the Austrian farmer.

He stressed the importance of looking into the “enormous impact” of food processors and retailers on the prices that EU producers receive.

“We also need to look into the role of free trade agreements and make sure we have a level playing field… based on comparable standards,” he noted.

[Edited by Angelo Di Mambro/Zoran Radosavljevic]