EU goes easy on farmers in 2040 emissions goal

Weeks of protests by farmers in the EU has seemingly worked, with the European Commission weakening the originally recommended cuts to agricultural emissions. 

According to a draft of the proposed report seen by news agency Reuters, the ag sector would have needed to cut non-CO2 emissions 30% by 2040 from a 2015 baseline. While the EU has recommended a 90% cut in net emissions by 2040, the final communique sets no target for agriculture. 

Instead, the Commission will set up a strategic dialogue with “farmers and other actors in the food chain" to “jointly shape the transition”. 

“This dialogue will address issues such as viable livelihoods, reducing burdens and ensuring competitive and sustainable food production in the future. Given that it is among the most efficient global producers of food in terms of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the EU should also work to prevent unfair competition and to ensure a level playing field with non-EU producers, in particular through trade agreements,” the report stated. 

The report made clear that “diverse and family-owned farms and those who combine crop and animal production are the backbone of EU farming and should be accompanied in the transition to a climate-neutral land sector, taking into account its social, environmental and economic dimension”. 

The report comes as support for conservative parties surges ahead of EU parliamentary elections in June, and the growing popularity of farming advocate MPs like Caroline van der Plas in the Netherlands. 

READ MORE: Why the NFF is bringing a Dutch farm activist to Australia 

European cities have been roiled by farmers blocking major roads in protest against EU agricultural policies on a range of issues including environmental policies. The high cost of diesel and the importation of cheap Ukrainian agricultural products are among the chief concerns and many also cite the onerous red tape and an EU requirement to leave 4% of land fallow. 

What’s recommended in the report 

Titled, Europe's 2040 climate target and path to climate neutrality by 2050 building a sustainable, just and prosperous society,  the 30-page report advocates for a 90% cut in greenhouse gas emissions and lays out a series of steps toward achieving that goal. 

To achieve that “requires a rapid deployment of zero and low-carbon technologies by 2040, creating a large domestic market for clean tech manufacturers, incentivising research and innovation and the creation of a strong European industrial basis’. 

In the ag sector, natural capital appears to be a key plank of the EU’s strategy with regards to land, calling out the value of timber as a carbon-storing construction material, and the potential for changed agricultural practices. 

“The land sectors contribute to the decarbonisation of other sectors,” the report found.  

“More resource efficient and biodiversity-friendly management of the land sector will also increase its resilience to the impacts of climate change, improve soil fertility and protect and restore nature, bringing win-win solutions for food security and the productivity of land.” 

It advocated for more incentives for the food industry to “procure more sustainable food ingredients”, as well as “new market-based mechanisms to boost sustainable food, as this could result both in a better food price to reflect sustainability as well as a fair reward for farmers and new source of funding for investments”. 

It anticipated that “advancements in digital monitoring technologies and advisory services, farmers and foresters will be able to quantify their GHG balance using reliable and harmonised certification methodologies”.