Changes from report parliamentary committee draft to plenary report

Added56. Calls, furthermore, on the Commission to end simplistic front-of-pack labelling systems such as Nutri-Score because of the lack of broad scientific consensus and the risk of the food industry changing the parameters to serve its interests;

Added57. Calls for the promotion of nutrition education in schools and school canteens, with the aim of helping children understand the importance of a complete and balanced diet from an early age, with a view to helping children understand the origin of food; encourages the development of healthy eating habits and school menus that include a variety of vitamins, fibre and nutrient-rich foods to contribute to strengthening the physical and mental well-being of students; stresses, furthermore, the need to respect and promote national, local and seasonal gastronomy as valuable cultural heritage, well represented in the Mediterranean Diet model; urges the Commission to ensure that additional resources go to local and regional authorities for schemes aimed at these activities and stresses the need for public procurement to be guided by quality, not price, and to promote, where possible, the consumption of organic, local and seasonal products with geographical indications;

Added58. Underlines the importance of the EU scheme for the distribution of milk, fruit and vegetables to children through school programmes as a key tool to promote healthy eating, especially for children from vulnerable backgrounds for whom school meals can be one of the few sources of balanced nutrition; regrets that some Member States are not using the funds allocated to this programme, which is leading to the available budget being underused; draws attention to the importance of involving farmers and actors across the agri-food value chain in delivering food education, and promoting direct links between producers and schools;

Added59. Emphasises the importance of maintaining appropriate funding for olive oil and table olive production due to their significant health and nutritional benefits for all Europeans;

Added60. Is deeply concerned by the rise in projects to produce ‘lab-grown meat’; highlights the need to review the EU’s legislative framework for the authorisation of these products so that it takes fuller account of the economic, social and environmental implications of this type of innovation, as well as the related ethical considerations;

Added61. Encourages politicians, schools, media, farmers and local associations to work together in promoting a positive image of farming, increasing its attractiveness to young people, and to communicate better on the farmer’s role in sustainable food production and environmental services; calls for widespread recognition of the essential work carried out by farmers and farm workers in respect of food safety and of their commitment to sustainable practices through campaigns aimed at raising consumer awareness of the choices they make when buying and at strengthening the relationship between consumers and EU farmers, promoting a better understanding of how they produce the agri-food products that consumers purchase; highlights the need to counteract misinformation and misleading, erroneous and unjustified messages in order to improve the negative image that part of society has of farmers; urges the Member States to include this recognition in their educational plans to make agriculture an attractive economic activity; strongly regrets the fact that farmers and rural residents have suffered many years of de-prioritisation and underinvestment;

Added62. Calls for a comprehensive re-evaluation of designated Natura 2000 areas, including the removal of species and habitats not demonstrably present at the time of designation, and for a revision of the Habitats Directive that better accounts for socio-economic requirements, in order to reduce unnecessary restrictions and alleviate undue pressure on surrounding areas;

Simplification of the post-2027 CAP: Strategies for more efficient management

Change 5

Removed23. Supports, with a view to the future, the Commission’s objective for the 2024-2029 period to focus on reducing administrative burdens and simplifying legislation; stresses that this must be the driving force behind all actions;

Added63. Supports, with a view to the future, the Commission’s objective for the 2024-2029 period of reducing administrative burdens for farmers and simplifying legislation as a cross-cutting strategic priority, in order to facilitate access to CAP support and make implementation on the ground more effective; insists that this must be one of the guiding principles underpinning all actions aimed at achieving the social, environmental and economic sustainability of EU agriculture, without undermining the five main objectives of the CAP as set out in Article 39 TFEU; stresses that CAP simplification should not compromise a strong regulatory framework at EU level, as this is vital for preserving the commonality of the CAP and ensuring public support for the necessary financial resources; ’

Removed24. Calls for incentives rather than obligations for farmers to implement environmental and social activities in the course of their work, going beyond the costs incurred or profits foregone;

Added64. Stresses the need for more flexibility and a simpler funding structure for the new CAP that benefits the active farmer; points out that volatile conditions, increasing regulations and rising societal expectations cause frustration among farmers and affect the attractiveness of the profession, especially among young farmers and the most vulnerable;

Removed25. Stresses the need to reassess the cross-compliance requirements of the CAP in order to ease the administrative burden, reduce costs and avoid excessive implementation requirements, while respecting farmers’ need for flexibility in their implementation;

Added65. Calls on the Commission, when designing the future architecture of the CAP, to focus on delivering clearer criteria, digitalised procedures, standardised guidelines, the timely communication of changes and accessible technical support; highlights that gold-plating adds complexity for farmers and beneficiaries, reducing the effectiveness and uptake of important measures;

Removed26. Believes that the CMO Regulation should incorporate the simplification and acceleration of procedures for granting exceptional aid to farmers, including the key role of producer organisations (POs) and fruit and vegetable producer organisations (FVPOs) in stabilising the market, and that crisis management mechanisms need to be updated and strengthened;

Added66. Demands better coordination between the Commission and national and regional authorities regarding a reduction in documentation and reporting obligations; emphasises the need for proactive engagement between the Commission, Member State authorities, farmers and farm organisations before CAP national strategic plans are drawn up; underlines the need for greater flexibility for Member States within CAP strategic plans, allowing them to adapt specific elements without requiring prior approval from the Commission, when necessary; calls for the establishment of a centralised, electronic reporting system, a ‘CAP one-stop shop’, where farmers can submit applications, reports and all the required documentation in one place, avoiding unnecessary and duplicated administration;

Removed27. Calls for a guarantee that any legislative proposal affecting agriculture will be accompanied by a detailed economic, scientific, social and legal cumulative impact report, with updates published following any changes in the decision-making process;

Added67. Calls for a realistic, incentive-based system for farmers, which reflects the time commitment demonstrated by the beneficiary, rather than a system based purely on obligations to achieve ambitious environmental and social objectives, taking due account of the specificities of geographical areas; believes that incentive-based approaches yield the best results in terms of enhancing the sustainability of agriculture in the EU; stresses that it is vital, when calculating the remuneration due for services provided, that the methodology goes beyond the narrow lens of ‘costs incurred and income forgone’ by the farmer, as the socio-economic losses to the wider community can be much greater with the loss of both upstream and downstream economic activity in the local area; believes that funding for these payments should come from the CAP or from national funds so that public funding can truly incentivise green innovation and the green transition; invites the Commission to explore additional funding sources beyond the CAP to support farmers in developing locally adapted, sustainable business models;

Removed28. Points out that the collection of information should be based in particular on satellite imagery and integrated management and control system databases in order to reduce face-to-face inspections;

Added68. Emphasises that the implementation of requirements for good agricultural and environmental conditions must take into account current land use and farming practices; stresses that active farmers must retain the right to continue their current agricultural activities, including necessary maintenance operations, without facing additional administrative or operational restrictions;

Added69. Stresses the need to continue to assess the conditionality requirements of the CAP in order to ease administrative burdens, obstacles or economic barriers, reduce costs and avoid excessive implementation requirements for farmers; insists on farmers’ need for flexibility and simplicity, while continuing to promote responsible farming practices, through incentives, maintaining a level playing field and public support for the policy, in an approach that generates greater added value and more investment in innovation; ’

Added70. Urges the Commission to encourage farmers’ to take responsibility by allowing a degree of tolerance and by ensuring that sanctions are fair and proportionate, especially with regard to conditionality requirements, as well as voluntary eco-schemes and agri-environmental and climate measures; stresses the need for all new legislative requirements under the post-2027 CAP to be accompanied by sufficient transition periods and administrative simplifications to ensure legal and planning certainty for farmers;

Added71. Stresses that the CMO Regulation must be simplified, thereby accelerating procedures to grant exceptional aid to farmers; underlines the importance of promoting and enhancing the crucial role played by cooperatives, POs, APOs, fruit and vegetable producer organisations, inter-branch organisations and other entities contributing to the agri-food value chain, including the organic sector, and to making the agri-food value chain more balanced, thereby ensuring better remuneration for farmers; urges the Commission to examine how their cooperation can be further encouraged and supported through the CMO Regulation;

Added72. Calls on the Commission to carry out a comprehensive review of the tools, including market observatories, aimed at improving resilience against market volatility and collapses in market prices; insists that it is necessary to update and strengthen current risk management instruments and to enhance cooperation among cooperatives, POs and APOs with a view to strengthening their role in the management of economic and risk management tools; insists on the need to further facilitate the application of the exemptions from competition rules for farmers to address and overcome market crises;

Added73. Encourages the Commission to provide efficient safety nets in the CMO Regulation, including a review of the current public intervention prices and reference thresholds to accurately reflect the current economic conditions and realities;

Added74. Welcomes the Commission’s new package for the wine sector and calls on the Commission to further allocate financial resources for the implementation of the proposed measures and for a long-term sustainable revival of the wine sector;

Added75. Recalls, furthermore, that the CMO Regulation should address the demand of producers and consumers regarding the sales names of certain agricultural products, such as those related to meat, which must be protected from the risk of misleading use;

Added76. Calls for a guarantee that any legislative proposal affecting agriculture will be preceded, except in exceptional circumstances, by a detailed, comprehensive and evidence-based cumulative impact assessment, with particular emphasis on economic, environmental and social aspects, aiming to provide legal certainty for farmers; advocates the assessment of the economic impacts of proposed policy measures at farm level and the financial means required for their implementation, as well as continuous monitoring of the measures; stresses that the continuous increase in regulatory burdens placed on the sector has caused frustration among farmers and resulted in significant extra costs at farm level, and is one of the factors affecting the attractiveness of the profession for new entrants;

Added77. Stresses the importance of recognising the diversity of European agriculture, including greenhouse horticulture and permanent crops, in the designation of support measures, regulatory requirements and innovation strategies; calls for the introduction and adaptation of EU regulations specifically developed to address the challenges and opportunities of greenhouse, urban and vertical farming;

Added78. Stresses the need for a transition to integrated and interoperable digital systems to monitor the CAP; underlines, in this context, the importance of promoting the collection of data and information under a single legislative framework that relies, in particular, on satellite imagery to develop integrated management and control systems; highlights that such systems should aim to reduce face-to-face or physical on-the-spot inspections, where feasible, and minimise farmers’ administrative burdens and costs; insists that the protection and ownership of farmers’ data must be fully guaranteed; recalls, however, that, in view of the current limitations in the use of satellite technology, particularly concerning small, narrow parcels, it remains necessary to maintain other systems in the meantime;

Added79. Calls for the Member States to implement the single audit approach to minimise the time lost by farmers to accompanying controls; encourages the Commission to modernise the integrated management and control system for satellite imagery, such as Copernicus and Galileo, in order to integrate existing and new technologies to provide greater accuracy, reliability and simplification;

Added80. Advocates for allowing Member States greater flexibility to support investment in key innovations and technologies, such as the use of satellites, the internet of things and similar technologies to capture operational data; believes that this will ensure transparency and compliance without imposing additional costs on farmers, facilitating the transition towards a trust-based system where reliable farmers can self-certify their compliance, complemented by targeted, risk-based audits rather than broad, routine inspections;

Added81. Underlines the need to design innovation strategies and digital transitions in a way that is participatory and accessible to all farms, ensuring that technological progress contributes to rural cohesion, democratic participation and sustainable development;

Added82. Considers it essential to grant Member States that recognise regions as having a statutory role in CAP management the opportunity to restore management instruments at regional level in the context of rural development measures;

Water and the circular economy as a foundation for the post-2027 CAP

Change 6

Changed29.83. Urges the Commission to incorporateintegrate a strategic and holistic approach to water perspectiveresources into the post-2027 CAP in orderand to allocateincrease moreits investmentsynergies towith boostingother infrastructureEU sofunds, such as tothe makeEuropean agricultureRegional moreDevelopment efficientFund, andto resilient,strengthen includingthe waterwater-food nexus as ana essentialkey element in the protection ofstrengthening food sovereignty;security pointsand outin the need to providedevelopment regulatingof reservoirs,rural waterareas; storagecalls, systems,furthermore, interconnectionsfor andincreased transfersinvestment andin toimproving promotewater greaterresilience usethrough ofthe reclaimedmodernisation and desalinateddevelopment of water inretention, orderdistribution, tostorage provideand watersustainable securityregulating andinfrastructure, balance;as onwell thisas point,nature-based lookssolutions, forwardwhich tois thekey presentationto ofachieving thea watermore resilienceefficient strategyand incompetitive 2025;agricultural sector;

Change 7

Removed30. Calls on the Commission to include among its priorities the modernisation and digitalisation of sustainable irrigation, as well as the use of artificial intelligence and new water technologies to reduce the water footprint;

Added84. Calls on the Commission to guarantee access to water for sustainable irrigation; stresses the need to promote investment in waste-water purification and treatment, as well as the use of non-conventional water sources, such as reclaimed and desalinated water for the agricultural sector, regardless of farm size, at competitive prices, with water transport interconnections being equally important to transport this water; calls on the Commission to take into account both the significant differences and challenges in the Member States and also the good practices implemented by each Member State to safeguard agricultural production; calls on the Commission to invest in training programmes for farmers on water-use efficiency;

Removed31. Calls for strong support for EU farmers and foresters to boost the circular economy, prioritising an efficient use of all resources, rather than focusing exclusively on reducing carbon emissions; stresses the importance of better integrating the circular economy into the emerging bioeconomy, optimising the use of raw materials and secondary products to generate by-products and new energy sources such as biogas and strengthening the EU’s energy autonomy; on this point, looks forward to the presentation of the bioeconomy strategy in 2025;

Added85. Calls on the Commission to prioritise the promotion of innovative technologies and smart irrigation and the digitalisation of infrastructure to optimise water use and reduce the water footprint, especially in regions affected by drought and desertification, while ensuring stable production;

Removed32. Calls on the Commission to strengthen risk management instruments in the post-2027 CAP by increasing support for agricultural insurance to cope with extreme weather events;

Added86. Draws attention to the fact that many irrigation systems are obsolete and inefficient, causing significant water losses and therefore requiring replacement or modernisation; calls, therefore, on the Commission to include financial incentives for this modernisation among its priorities and supports their inclusion as eligible investments within the CAP strategic plans and relevant EU cohesion instruments;

Removed33. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to promote a model based on the bioeconomy as a virtuous system that can boost farmers’ incomes and provide new jobs; calls also for encouraging the eco-system services role of livestock farming, which can contribute to a virtuous carbon cycle;

Added87. Highlights the complexity of using CAP funds, particularly those from Pillar II, to finance irrigation infrastructure, and therefore calls for a review of the design and financing mechanisms for such infrastructure to improve the availability and use of water resources by farmers, reflecting the real costs and added value of the environmental and landscape services they provide;

Removed34. Emphasises that Mediterranean EU regions are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, such as drought, fires and desertification, and that farmers therefore need to make greater efforts in these areas to adapt their activities to the changed environment;

Added88. Calls for targeted and effective support for EU farmers and foresters to boost the circular economy and integrate into the emerging bioeconomy, through incentives for the recovery of biomass, agricultural waste and co-products, which would also support the energy autonomy of farms and reduce their dependence on external inputs; points out the need to optimise the use of raw materials and secondary products that generate by-products such as digestate and new energy sources, including sustainable biogas and sustainable biofuels, while being mindful of the need to prioritise food production; underlines that these measures, which must not lead to increased administrative burdens at farm level, will contribute to strengthening the EU’s energy autonomy, boost additional sources of income for farmers and create new employment opportunities; encourages the Commission, in this context, to recognise the importance of these aspects in the forthcoming Bioeconomy Strategy for 2025;

Removed35. Encourages the minimising of food waste in the agri-food chain – including in agriculture – by ensuring efficient and sustainable use of resources and materials and by reinforcing animal and plant health measures to avoid food loss in the field due to diseases or pests, or by transforming them into by-products that boost the circular economy;

Added89. Stresses the need for a holistic approach to decarbonising agriculture and calls for appropriate encouragement and incentives, including for the recovery of biomass and rewarding carbon sequestration in soils, as well as sufficient funding for farmers to adopt solutions and practices that reduce the carbon footprint of crops while maintaining their competitiveness, so that the burden of such decarbonisation and workload does not fall exclusively on them;

Added90. Urges the Commission and the Member States to encourage and enhance the integration of agriculture and renewable energy, recognising the potential of this synergy to promote sustainable farming practices, strengthen local resilience to climate change and enhance the circular economy; highlights the potential for agriculture to play a key role in the Clean Industrial Deal and the energy transition through the production of renewable energy in the sector; calls on the Commission to clarify the provisions of the CAP to better align and increase the compatibility of renewable and sustainable energy sources, such as agrisolar and biogas, with agricultural activities;

Added91. Advocates for a review of the Nitrates Directive to align it with the latest scientific evidence and best agricultural practices, while continuing to protect water quality; calls, in this regard, on the Commission to work with the Member States to swiftly adopt a science-based proposal allowing the use of RENURE fertilisers under clearly defined conditions so that farmers can reduce their reliance on synthetic fertilisers and accelerate the transition towards more circular and sustainable nutrient management systems;

Added92. Calls for the facilitation of structured knowledge exchange and cooperation between comparable production systems across the Member States, in order to support mutual learning, address region-specific challenges – such as those faced by intensive production areas – and accelerate sustainable transitions that are tailored to the specific realities of each sector;

Added93. Calls on the Commission and the Member States to strengthen risk management instruments in the post-2027 CAP by increasing financial support for agricultural insurance, mutual funds and the income stabilisation tool; insists on the need to make insurance more accessible and financially viable for farmers; points to the need to introduce a mechanism at EU level to reinforce national agricultural insurance schemes to be activated automatically to cope with extreme and unforeseeable weather and sanitary and market crises; stresses that these measures should be additional to current market management tools and should not undermine current national schemes;

Added94. Calls on the Commission to reinforce risk management measures, including insurance, reinsurance schemes and other complementary funds to be drawn on in the event of higher damage thresholds, both for preventive measures and compensation for farmers in relation to natural disasters, epizootic outbreaks and plant diseases; considers it necessary, in this context, to include investment in prevention, early warning systems and the development of new resilience infrastructure enabling the sector to anticipate and recover from increasing climate-related risks; underlines the need for Member States to make greater use of currently underutilised risk management tools;

Added95. Stresses the need to reform and increase the financial capacity of the agricultural reserve in order to address unforeseen market disturbances and climate-related events such as droughts and floods; underlines, however, that the agricultural reserve cannot be the sole instrument, and reiterates the importance of developing a broader range of risk management and rapid response tools, including more effective agricultural insurance schemes, mutual funds, climate emergency funds and extraordinary liquidity support for the EU farming sector;

Added96. Draws attention to the lack of consistent and easy-to-use methodologies for calculating the emissions of individual agricultural sectors; strongly opposes, therefore, any attempts to include agriculture in the ETS or any green taxation schemes;

Added97. Stresses that all EU regions are impacted by the consequences of climate change; points out, however, that the southern regions are more vulnerable, suffering from desertification, drought, aquifer salinisation, forest fires, as well as persistent rainfall and flooding, causing new pests and diseases, all of which threaten the agricultural sector; underlines, therefore, that farmers across the EU need specific support measures and instruments to redouble their efforts to adapt their activities to climate change and to prevent and mitigate its negative effects; draws attention to the importance of providing comprehensive support to rural communities and local authorities in achieving these goals;

Added98. Calls for continuous support to innovative farming techniques, including those used in organic farming and other agroecological practices, both in organic and increasingly in conventional systems, to significantly reduce the use of inputs and external dependencies in agriculture and strengthen autonomy and food security;

Added99. Insists that the future development of the EU organic sector must be market-oriented and calls for the new CAP to continue to provide incentives for farmers and new entrants to engage in organic farming; invites the Commission to examine new ways of dealing with crises in the organic market; recalls the need to promote organic consumption also through public procurement;

Added100. Encourages the minimising of food waste and loss along the entire agri-food chain, including primary producers, to ensure the efficient, innovative and sustainable use of all resources; calls on the Commission to take measures at all levels to prevent losses and to promote the conversion of surpluses into value-added products; insists on the need to give greater value to the food produced by farmers and the major effort that goes into obtaining it; encourages the Commission, in this regard, to promote solutions, such as a review of best before dates and the use of natural bio-based preservatives, to extend the shelf life of food products;

Added101. Calls on the Commission to develop a comprehensive nutrient recovery strategy along the agri-food chain, with targeted support for innovation in the separation, treatment and reuse of nutrients from waste streams from food processing, retail and consumption;