Increased productivity top priority for EU's farmers
EU farm policy reforms must focus on boosting agricultural productivity to meet increased global food demand, and must do more to encourage innovation and new farming practices.
No country can opt out of the global food security challenge, and access to scientific advances will be critical to delivering the ’sustainable intensification’ goal of increasing farm output while minimising environmental impact.
That was the central message delivered by Food and Farming Minister Jim Paice MP at a fringe meeting entitled ’Feast or Famine?’ hosted by the Crop Protection Association (CPA) at this week’s Conservative Party Conference in Manchester.
Speaking alongside Oxfam chief executive Dame Barbara Stocking, Soil Association director Helen Browning, and NFU President Peter Kendall, Mr Paice said there was a ’moral imperative’ to ensure future CAP reforms enabled Europe’s farmers to play their part in addressing the world’s food needs.
"Dramatic shifts in global demand mean the days of cheap food and intervention surpluses are over. Faced with the predicted impacts of climate change, northern Europe is set become an even more significant component of the world’s food production base. The Government’s job is to stimulate increased supply through sustainable gains in on-farm productivity. Science will play a key role in that process," said Mr Paice.
At a global level, Dame Barbara Stocking warned of the damaging effects of food price volatility on the world’s poorest communities, 1 billion of whom were already undernourished. While accepting that the world must learn to live with higher food prices, she called for better control and transparency in monitoring the world’s food supplies to help manage resources more efficiently and avoid the dramatic swings in commodity prices seen in 2008 and 2010.
She also highlighted the urgent need for more investment in agricultural development, technology and infrastructure to improve the productive capacity of small farmers in developing countries.
CPA chief executive Dominic Dyer said:
"We welcome the strong commitment from the UK Government to boost farm productivity and the central role envisaged for science and innovation."
"But the reality is that current EU policy in areas such as biotechnology and crop protection is blocking progress and stifling investment in new research."
"It is absurd that GM field trials in Europe still take place behind razor wire and 24 hour security when the technology is already delivering major economic and environmental benefits in other parts of the world."
"The key challenge is to persuade policy-makers at an EU level that future farm policies must reflect the pressing global need to produce more food, and also to show leadership in ensuring that Europe’s farmers and consumers are not denied access to new technologies and products," said Mr Dyer.
