Members of the European Parliament and farming and fisheries trade bodies have united to reject proposals to restore degraded ecosystems.
In an unprecedented move, the Committees on Agriculture and Fisheries have vetoed the European Commission’s Nature Restoration Law which some fear will have devastating consequences for farming and forestry across the EU, closing countless fishing grounds.
The Committee for the Environment will make a final decision later this week and trade bodies, Copa-Cogeca and Europêche are calling on the Commission to hear the concerns of farmers and fishers and restart the process for scratch.
“We must try to make environmental protection compatible with human activity and in particular with the much-needed production of food,” said Javier Garat, president of Europêche.
“We are already importing 70% of the seafood we are consuming in Europe. The new law will certainly contribute to increase the food security gap,” he warned.
The trade bodies argue that the Commission’s impact assessment fails to acknowledge the new law’s impact on producers, focusing only on societal benefits. Moreover, there are concerns over funding as there are no plans to create a dedicated restoration fund.
The objections are not to nature restoration, per se, they argue, rather to ‘ill-thought out, unrealistic and unimplementable legislation’ that will ‘endanger fishers’ and farmers’ livelihoods’.
“A good Nature Restoration Law cannot be designed without the clear commitment of farmers and fishermen,” said Niels Peter Nørring, chair of the Working Party on Environment for Copa-Cogeca.
“So, instead of threats and backdoor deals, the European Commission should go back to the drawing board. EU authorities must respect and acknowledge that those who will be implementing this law do not see it as feasible, workable, nor implementable.”
