EU farm to fork strategy

endainoz

25% of EU agriculture land to be organically farmed by 2030

https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/25-of-eu-agriculture-land-to-be-organically-farmed-by-2030/

Hi folks, this new strategy was announced today, though with leaked documents from recently, we knew the gist of it anyway. From an organics point of view I'm quite happy with it as it should mean more of a demand for products and more innovation overall.

What do conventional people think of this though? Would you be willing to reduce the reliance on chemical fert so easily?

Mooooo

Organic / conventional etc makes no odds it's the return we can make from the farm that is important from a farming point of view imo. Maybe it's different for those not dependant on it but its the cow's that pay for everything here so that's the way I look at it

tractorporn

Mooooo wrote: »

Organic / conventional etc makes no odds it's the return we can make from the farm that is important from a farming point of view imo. Maybe it's different for those not dependant on it but its the cow's that pay for everything here so that's the way I look at it

If this target is achieved it will flood the market for organic produce and sink the price. From my perspective I hope it doesn't get much traction as I like the high price I get for my oats.

Say my name

tractorporn wrote: »

If this target is achieved it will flood the market for organic produce and sink the price. From my perspective I hope it doesn't get much traction as I like the high price I get for my oats.

This is coming from politicians and what they perceive consumers want and in their eyes to be the leading continent in the world from all what's supposed to be great in ecology and environmental and food awareness.

But. BUT. As every farmer knows it's a profession that's run by consumers and the supermarkets and the processors. Capitalism.
If the market conditions were there already there'd be no need for policies from the EU.

I haven't read about this yet but it sounds like a stick approach unless the CAP budget has been increased unknownst to ourselves.

I've been to a few organic farm walks just to see the jist. And I've got that message the same as yourself TP that the biggest fear from the existing farmers is a mass migration into organic from outside.
It's a tight little shop atm in Ireland. And tbh it's not really that big bucks either.
It's driven by passion more than economics.

Birdnuts

Most farmers in Ireland would benefit from major CAP reform in terms of a better focus on sustainability - and the rural environment certainly would. Also would generate better PR for the sector in general

PS: Don't think we will be overrun with Organic product any time soon - we have one of the lowest acreages under organic in the EU and there are major deficits in fruit,veg, grains and dairy products with most of it being imported to meet a growing home demand. Good feature on the matter in this weeks Farming Indo

tractorporn

Say my name wrote: »

This is coming from politicians and what they perceive consumers want and in their eyes to be the leading continent in the world from all what's supposed to be great in ecology and environmental and food awareness.

But. BUT. As every farmer knows it's a profession that's run by consumers and the supermarkets and the processors. Capitalism.
If the market conditions were there already there'd be no need for policies from the EU.

I haven't read about this yet but it sounds like a stick approach unless the CAP budget has been increased unknownst to ourselves.

I've been to a few organic farm walks just to see the jist. And I've got that message the same as yourself TP that the biggest fear from the existing farmers is a mass migration into organic from outside.
It's a tight little shop atm in Ireland. And tbh it's not really that big bucks either.
It's driven by passion more than economics.

Just look at the queues outside the reopening of McDonald's and that will tell you what the consumer wants and it ain't organic

Organic is the nichest of niches, you have to like it. The one think I'll say about it is that it's not hugely better than conventional but what you do earn you keep.

tractorporn

Birdnuts wrote: »

Most farmers in Ireland would benefit from major CAP reform in terms of a better focus on sustainability - and the rural environment certainly would. Also would generate better PR for the sector in general

PS: Don't think we will be overrun with Organic product any time soon - we have one of the lowest acreages under organic in the EU and there are major deficits in fruit,veg, grains and dairy products with most of it being imported to meet a growing home demand. Good feature on the matter in this weeks Farming Indo

We do have the lowest acreages of organic but we also have one of the smallest markets and one low the lowest processor uptake in Europe. Its naive to think that processors wouldn't take advantage of increased production in all sectors just as they have of conventional. All it took was 500 extra farmers to convert in 2015 to almost collapse the organic beef market imagine what a 10 fold increase would do to markets.

Masifxx

From what I’ve read of this farm to Fork stuff it seems Europe has no interest in commercial farming. They now want ‘plant based’ diets and targets plucked from the air. They seem to have strategically leaked it a few weeks ago to sweeten up the agri-media. They are taking advantage of the COVID 19 lock down in Brussels to shaft farmers.

Birdnuts

Masifxx wrote: »

From what I’ve read of this farm to Fork stuff it seems Europe has no interest in commercial farming. They now want ‘plant based’ diets and targets plucked from the air. They seem to have strategically leaked it a few weeks ago to sweeten up the agri-media. They are taking advantage of the COVID 19 lock down in Brussels to shaft farmers.

Depends on your definition of "commercial" - the current regime of where 20% of the largest operations and corporations are getting 80% of the CAP budget is simply not sustainable at any level and this fact is finally being recognised by most EU governments

Birdnuts

tractorporn wrote: »

We do have the lowest acreages of organic but we also have one of the smallest markets and one low the lowest processor uptake in Europe. Its naive to think that processors wouldn't take advantage of increased production in all sectors just as they have of conventional. All it took was 500 extra farmers to convert in 2015 to almost collapse the organic beef market imagine what a 10 fold increase would do to markets.

Beef is probably oversupplied(same as conventional) but everything else has alot of room for expansion - one of the major things holding the indigenous sector back up till now is the attitude of state agencies like Teagasc and the DAFM which has shown little interest in helping develop the sector here. In other countries like Austria its embraced by the government and now 30% of land is under organic production. As the article I mentioned in my previous post outlines - we are importing a significant amount of organic produce while demand aross the EU and other markets continues to grow.

jntsnk

I can see what they are at , as we are abusing our natural resource with intensive farming.
If they succeed it will reduce food supply but the world has a fast growing population and if Europe won’t feed it as much, it’s going to come from South America and they are far worse with the environment than we are. The Amazon will be cleared even at a faster rate etc.... So it’s all hypocrisy and politics .

Birdnuts

jntsnk wrote: »

I can see what they are at , as we are abusing our natural resource with intensive farming.
If they succeed it will reduce food supply but the world has a fast growing population and if Europe won’t feed it as much, it’s going to come from South America and they are far worse with the environment than we are. The Amazon will be cleared even at a faster rate etc.... So it’s all hypocrisy and politics .

EU doesn't really supply those markets as it is anyway cos there is no margin in doing so. Many of these countries have issues due to poor food storage, instability, corruption etc, that hinder food supply rather then a lack of food production per se.

ganmo

Is this the eu version of harvest 2020?

bogman_bass

Got to read the document last night.

Young farmers only get one mention

Talks about R+D funding for fake meat and incouraging plant based diets.

Not an article I enjoyed reading to be honest.

Bass Reeves

The problem with organics is that you need to be selling direct to market. This is not possible in Ireland as our population base V our land base is too small. If organics go through commercial operations onto Supermarkets farmers will not be a winner

However I think we need to brand grassland beef. Too much beef is finished with ration in this country. Every 10 kgs we can reduce carcasse weight by takes 60k cattle out of the system

kk.man

However I think we need to brand grassland beef. Too much beef is finished with ration in this country. Every 10 kgs we can reduce carcasse weight by takes 60k cattle out of the system[/quote]

That maybe true but the other side of the argument is you will have cattle longer and more cattle than presently therefore increasing more cattle movements and carbon etc.

Bass Reeves

kk.man wrote: »

That maybe true but the other side of the argument is you will have cattle longer and more cattle than presently therefore increasing more cattle movements and carbon etc.

This is about like Teagasc and the dairy calf they forgot about. Teagasc and other are on about younger cattle having a smaller carbon footprint. Yet we are told that our milk and beef has a lower footprint than feedlot milk and beef. Slaughtering at a younger age with 2+ ton of nuts is not reducing carbon footprint. Feeding cattle a grain that has a carbon footprint from its production and from its transport cannot be a lower footprint compared to a block slaughtered 6-8 weeks later with 1/3 of the ration

Say my name

Just reading the ifj's bit about the strategy.

Part of it is the Commission wants to develop a carbon sink market whereby companies emitting carbon in other sectors could pay farmers to sequester it, there by offsetting them.

Only way that'll work is if the stick, mandatory offsetting is used to get that up and running. With European companies being forced to offset that to European farms. Not to Barry in Brazil.

Young95

Say my name wrote: »

Just reading the ifj's bit about the strategy.

Part of it is the Commission wants to develop a carbon sink market whereby companies emitting carbon in other sectors could pay farmers to sequester it, there by offsetting them.

Only way that'll work is if the stick, mandatory offsetting is used to get that up and running. With European companies being forced to offset that to European farms. Not to Barry in Brazil.

Could be a bita money to be made out of it surely?

endainoz

Young95 wrote: »

Could be a bita money to be made out of it surely?

The (literal) penny has dropped!