The European Environmental Bureau (EEB) is Europe\u2019s largest network of environmental citizens\u2019 organisations with around 150 organisations in more than 30 countries.<\/em><\/p>\n To make matters worse, the Agriculture committee voted in favour of giving farmers extra financial support under the EU\u2019s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) if they do meet certain environmental standards that have until now been compulsory in order to receive CAP support.<\/p>\n Today\u2019s result is in stark contrast to a vote in February 2019 in the Parliament\u2019s Environment committee [1] when MEPs called for strengthening the allocation of money under the CAP for environmental protection. The agriculture committee ignored its environmental counterpart and voted to strengthen the allocation of money under the CAP to the type of income support that has been proven inefficient at both raising farm incomes and protecting the environment.<\/p>\n B\u00e9r\u00e9nice Dupeux, Agriculture Policy Officer at the European Environmental Bureau (EEB), said:<\/p>\n \u201cRather than heed the repeated warnings issued by scientists [2] on the need to significantly reduce meat consumption to avoid dangerous climate breakdown, and citizens\u2019 demands [3] for higher environmental ambition in farm policies, MEPs on the European Parliament\u2019s Agriculture committee have shockingly voted to make an already highly questionable Commission proposal [4] even worse by supporting putting even more public money into the intensive agriculture sector [5] unchecked.<\/p>\n \u201cIt seems as if MEPS on the Agriculture committee are unequipped to take into account citizens’ demands and are refusing to face up to the environmental and economic crisis in the agricultural sector and want to forever lock us into a broken farming system. Without real reform, we can no longer justify spending so much of EU taxpayers\u2019 money on this policy. Next month\u2019s change of Parliament and Commission is a chance to change direction on how we farm in Europe and put our framers on track for an agroecological transition.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n ENDS<\/strong><\/p>\n [1] This is the first time Environment committee MEPs have had an equal say on farm subsidies alongside their Agriculture committee counterparts.<\/p>\n [2]
\nhttps:\/\/ieep.eu\/publications\/agriculture-and-land-management\/future-of-the-cap\/cap-2021-27-proposals-for-increasing-its-environmental-and-climate-ambition<\/a><\/p>\n