Farming sector welcomes proposal to ratify Paris agreement on climate change

EU agricultural co-operative Copa and Cogeca have welcomed an EU Commission proposal to ratify the Paris agreement on climate change.

This is to ensure that all provisions in the deal are respected, especially to make certain that climate change and food security are tackled in a balanced way.

Copa President Martin Merrild stressed: "We welcome the legally binding global climate deal made in Paris and the fact that the Commission made a proposal today to ensure it is quickly ratified.

"We are committed to making it work to help fight climate change. But this must be done in a balanced way without threatening food production."

"Global food demand is set to rise in the future and we need to be able to feed a growing population.

"Squeezing efficient EU farmers or their cooperatives out of business does not make any sense.

"There is no point in cutting production in Europe just to build it up elsewhere.

"We need to support sustainable and efficient farming in the EU also because our standards are higher than in non-EU countries," Merrild added.

"In the upcoming legislation on climate change, there needs to be flexibility between the sectors included in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and non-Emissions Trading Scheme (nonETS).

Agriculture makes a huge contribution to tackling climate change

"Agriculture must not be hit by the impact of climate change and the potentially adverse effects that EU climate change policy could have on it," Merrild said.

Cogeca President Thomas Magnusson underlined: "Agriculture and forestry make a big contribution to tackling climate change through for example the storage of carbon in soil organic matter and in renewable energy sources.

"We are the only sectors that absorb emissions from the atmosphere, while all other economic sectors just emit.

"We must support efficient production of food. If the resource efficient farmers cannot make it and they are squeezed out of business, we would not be able to fulfil our objectives of combatting climate change.

"We have sent a letter today to EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker outlining our demands."