Nature Restoration Law, myths and facts for farmers

3 months ago 10

This week, the EU finally closed the chapter on the contentious Nature Restoration Law after months of political deadlock. This legislation became a lightning rod for farming organisations opposing new sector regulations.

But the uproar from some farmers, often stoked by right-wing parties, doesn’t match the impact of the law passed by environment ministers on Monday.

Spain’s farmers’ organisation ASAJA called the law’s approval a “clear betrayal” of Spanish farmers and livestock breeders by a government that had always supported the legislation.

Italy’s Coldiretti acknowledged the removal of the “most ideological” aspects, such as the alleged “abandonment” of 10% of EU agricultural land, but argued that the law still embodies a “wrong approach.”

But was there ever a provision mandating the abandonment of 10% of viable agricultural land? And what is the real impact of the final text on European farmers?

The European Commission’s legislative proposal from June 2022 included several provisions that could affect the EU’s agricultural sector.

It suggested dedicating 10% of agricultural land towards features beneficial to biodiversity, such as growing hedges, tree lines, digging ditches, building stone walls, and small ponds—and not abandoning the land.

The 10% figure, however, was never mandatory for farmers or member states; it was a guideline.

All the references to this figure has been removed from the final Nature Restoration Law.

In addition, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) requirement forcing farmers to dedicate 4% of their land to non-productive features (GAEC 8), with incentives to do more through “eco-schemes,” could have contributed to improving agricultural ecosystems.

But GAEC 8 has been weakened, making it instead voluntary in response to the recent farmer protests.

The Commission did propose mandatory targets for restoring drained peatlands—key carbon sinks—under agricultural use.

Nevertheless, the final text makes restoring wetlands voluntary for farmers and private landowners, encouraging member states to make these practices “financially attractive.”

The legislation approved by ministers maintains a general obligation to improve biodiversity in agricultural ecosystems, measured by two indicators chosen from three: grassland butterfly index, organic carbon stock in cropland soils, or the share of agricultural land with “high diversity” landscape features.

Crucially, the responsibility to meet these targets falls on member states, not individual farmers.

Moreover, an emergency provision allows the suspension of the regulation in case of “unforeseeable, exceptional, and unprovoked events” threatening agricultural production, effectively stripping the legislation of any remaining teeth.

The politicisation and polarisation of the debate on Nature Restoration Law has not brought clarity to its actual impact.

On one hand, the many exceptions in the text raise doubts about its ability to achieve the purposes for which it was created. On the other hand, farming organisations, including influential COPA and COGECA, highlighted a possible shortcoming of the law: the lack of “clear and consistent” funding, which will pose a major challenge to a uniform and widespread adoption of ecosystem restoration practices across the EU.

Nibbles of the week

EU ‘not worried’ as China probes bloc’s pork imports. The European Commission said it was “not worried” by Beijing’s announcement on Monday (17 June) of an anti-dumping investigation into the bloc’s pork exports, in an escalation of trade tensions with the bloc. Analysts said China was retaliating against the EU’s subsidy probe into Chinese electric cars, and producers and exporters had mixed views on the impact of the news.

Food security at forefront of Hungary’s Council presidency priorities. Budapest is set to place food security at the forefront of its agenda as it takes over the EU Council presidency for the next six months starting from 1 July.

In a document published on Tuesday, the country said that agriculture “has never faced so many challenges as it does today”, citing climate change, soaring production costs, plant diseases, conflicts, and a surge in imports from non-EU countries.

The EU triggers emergency brake on oats imports from Ukraine. The cereal on Wednesday became the first agricultural product that will no longer be exempted from duties, because it exceeds the cap fixed in the latest regulation on temporary trade benefits for Ukraine.

EU presidency makes last-ditch attempt to break deadlock on gene-edited crops. After months of stalemate over the rules for innovative biotech crops, EU ambassadors will next week discuss the latest compromise text, seen by Euractiv, with new proposals on patentability.

The document will be presented to the Committee of Permanent Representatives (COREPER) on 26 June.

Council pushes for tougher stance on farmer seed swaps in new EU law. On Tuesday, the Council published a note from the Belgian Presidency on the current state of discussions on the draft legislation on the marketing of seeds and other plant reproductive material (PRM). EU member states are in favour of stricter rules, especially concerning exchanges between farmers.

At the next meeting of EU agriculture ministers, on 24 June in Luxembourg, the Belgian Council presidency will publicly present the document.

Environment ministers push for more flexibility in first EU law monitoring soil. EU member states reached a common position on the bloc’s first law for soils during a meeting of the Environment Council on Monday, granting countries greater flexibility in implementing the rules.

The Council endorsed the European Commission’s aims to achieve healthy soils by 2050 but reaffirmed that this is an “aspirational long-term objective”.

On the same day, member states distanced themselves from Parliament on food waste targets. EU ministers agreed on a common position to revise the directive on food and textile waste, following the Commission’s proposed targets but falling short of the European Parliament’s ambitions.

EU countries also supported the ratification of a UN agreement protecting oceans. Member states agreed on Monday to ratify the ‘High Seas Treaty’ to strengthen marine protection, signed in June 2023 by the United Nations.

Ukraine’s agriculture and food production not shielded from war, warns agribusiness chief. The question of how to support the Ukrainian agrifood sector amid Russia’s war remains unanswered after last week’s Ukraine Recovery Conference, the president of the Ukrainian Agribusiness Club (UCAB) told Euractiv in an interview.

EU organic area reaches 10.5% of agricultural land, but falls short of 2030 target. Land used for organic agricultural production accounted for 10.5% of the EU’s total farmland in 2022, according to data released by Eurostat on 19 June. Eurostat highlighted a massive 79% increase in organic farmland between 2012 and 2022.

[Edited by Angelo Di Mambro and Rajnish Singh]