Brussels – Fourteen activists from Greenpeace Belgium covered the entrance of the European Parliament in Brussels in green-coloured water, accusing the politicians inside the building negotiating the EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP) of greenwashing. Two climbers also scaled the platform over the main door and unfurled a banner reading “Stop Greenwashing European Farming”.
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Representatives from European governments, the European Parliament and the European Commission are finalising negotiations on the EU’s farming policy for the next seven years. Despite condemnations of the current policy by scientists, the European Parliament’s own research and the EU’s own auditor service, the CAP’s destructive impact on nature, the climate and public health remains unchanged, said Greenpeace.
Greenpeace EU agriculture policy director Marco Contiero said: “Politicians will try to sell this farm policy as a green reform, but it’s nothing but greenwashing. This CAP is set to continue bankrolling industrial animal farming and animal feed production that devastate nature, wreck the climate, increase the risk of new pandemics, and put small farms out of business. Scientists are ringing alarm bells, warning that overproduction of meat and dairy is driving climate breakdown, forest destruction and disease outbreaks – but EU politicians are ignoring the warnings and insisting their farm plans are green.”
Greenpeace, BirdLife, ClientEarth, and the European Environmental Bureau analysed how the EU’s common agricultural policy matches up to the reforms needed to protect nature, tackle climate change, avoid pollution and produce food sustainably. The analysis found that the CAP deal the EU is finalising fails on all fronts.
Next steps
The agreement on the CAP reform will have to be formally adopted by the European Parliament and Council. The Parliament is expected to vote at a plenary session after the summer, while the Council can adopt the deal during any EU ministers’ meeting. Greenpeace is calling on members of the European Parliament to reject this common agricultural policy reform.
In the coming months, national governments will have to submit their national farming plans to the European Commission for approval, laying out how they will implement the CAP reform in their country.
Recent evaluations by the European Commission have shown that, when implementing CAP rules, many national governments have very poor track records in delivering environmental benefits. The increased flexibility given to national governments by this new CAP plan will make it exceptionally difficult for the Commission to ensure that national plans are implemented, Greenpeace warns.
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Contacts:
Marco Contiero, Greenpeace EU agriculture policy director: +32 (0)477 77 70 34, [email protected]
Greenpeace EU press desk: +32 (0)2 274 19 11, [email protected]
For breaking news and comment on EU affairs: www.twitter.com/GreenpeaceEU
Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning organisation that acts to change attitudes and behaviour, to protect and conserve the environment and to promote peace. We do not accept donations from governments, the EU, businesses or political parties. We have over three million supporters, and offices in more than 55 countries.
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