Organic farmers call for the new CAP to promote agroecology and recognise insularity
The Network of Organic Farmers of the Balearic Islands has participated in the definition of needs and their prioritization order within the participatory process organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, with the aim of designing the CAP 2021-2027.
After the pause caused by Covid-19, the ministry reactivated this participatory process a few weeks ago to specify the needs of the National Strategic Plan of the CAP. The organic agricultural production associations APAEMA, APAEM and APAAEEF, members of the Network of Organic Farmers of the Balearic Islands, as well as the Balearic Council of Ecological Agricultural Production (CBPAE) have taken part in it. This Thursday, the entities presented the list of needs – ordered by priority – to which the new Common Agricultural Policy should respond in the next period of application.
The needs are grouped into four blocks. In the economic bloc, the Network calls for prioritising the improvement of agricultural income, to bring it closer to that of other economic sectors, especially in farms that are committed to social and environmental sustainability, and that require greater support because the real value of their work is not reflected in the price of their products. It is proposed to compensate for the positive externalities generated by this type of agriculture and livestock, and to discourage polluting agri-food models. The Network stresses the importance of correcting the extra cost derived from insularity, preventing the increase in production from being detrimental to environmental compliance and animal welfare, and promoting cooperation, short marketing chains and self-sufficiency, in line with the European strategy "From Farm to Fork".
In the environmental block, the priority must be the fight against climate change, by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This implies that the CAP makes a firm commitment to a productive and regenerative agricultural model, capable of maintaining and improving the agroecosystem, which means definitively promoting organic production. It has been proven that organic farming is the most effective for fixing CO₂ in the soil, and that organic farming contributes to accelerating this cycle. For this reason, the Network calls for measures to ensure the continuity of extensive livestock farming, which is currently in decline, and highlights the need to promote beekeeping and the planting of plant covers.
Facilitating access to land, promoting generational renewal and improving the incorporation of young people and women into the rural environment are also priorities of the new framework. The organisations also recall the importance of supporting the return to agricultural activity of people between 42 and 65 years of age who wish to join or rejoin the sector. Likewise, measures are demanded to conserve cultural heritage and promote the use of shared machinery and infrastructures, key elements of the so-called rural block.
The change in the production model will not be enough if it is not accompanied by a change in the consumption model. For this reason, the new CAP must promote greater knowledge of the agricultural sector and its products on the part of consumers, in order to promote responsible consumption, based increasingly on organic and local food.
Porreres, July 30, 2020
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