In May, a forum launched by the European Commission approached a number of organisations, including EuChemS, with a targeted consultation on agriculture. The forum, called “Strategic Dialogue on the future of EU agriculture” was founded in response to the lasting controversy between EU policymakers and farmers, and it harvested responses from relevant agricultural, environmental, and importantly, scientific stakeholders. The responses were compiled, and released in the summary report “A shared prospect for farming and food in Europe” this month.
The report adopted a number of recommendations which were made by EuChemS amongst other stakeholders. After establishing the urgency of the matter, it established that cooperation between all agri-food actors is critical, and recommended measures to incentivise such collaboration. The following section addressed the sustainability of farming practises, and, in line with the EuChemS recommendation, emphasized the need for circularity and the consideration of planetary boundaries with regards to the elements of nitrogen and phosphorus. In addition, the report also pointed out the importance of alternative “agroecological” farming practises, such as crop rotation. Another key recommendation in the report in line with EuChemS’ values is the focus on knowledge and innovation. The report calls for science-based agri-food innovations to be implemented as part of the long term vision of EU agriculture. The forum also released an executive summary, in which the key findings of the report are summarised in ten points.
The full report with a vast amount of recommendations and comments can be found here, while the contributions of EuChemS to the forum are available here.
