EU says farmers ‘deserve to be listened to’ as effects of climate change and war grow – Europe live

The centre-right is celebrating the European Commission’s move to withdraw a proposal on pesticide reduction.

MEP Alexander Bernhuber, the European People’s Party group’s chief negotiator on pesticides, said in a statement that “this is a first good sign that the Commission will work with farmers to tackle climate change rather than against them.”

He added:

We have always said that it would be irresponsible to jeopardise European food production in the face of current crises through unrealistic requirements and bureaucracy.

We are ready at any time to work together with the Commission for effective climate protection and a secure food supply.

Meanwhile, Josep Borrell, the EU’s foreign policy chief, has arrived in Kyiv.

“It is in everyone’s interest, especially the farmers’, that we reduce use of pesticides,” said Green MEP Bas Eickhout.

“Naive to think pesticides industry will not fight it again,” he added.

“We support sustainable agriculture, but its goals must be achieved with farmers, not against them,” said centre-right member of the European parliament Siegfried Mureșan, in response to Ursula von der Leyen’s announcement withdrawing a proposal on reducing pesticides.

Alexander De Croo, the Belgian prime minister, has reacted to Ursula von der Leyen’s speech in the European parliament, writing on social media that he welcomes the announcement to withdraw a proposal on pesticides.

The Belgian leader said:

Crucial we keep our farmers on board to a more sustainable future of farming, as part of our determination to get the Green Deal done. The dialogue continues.

In a nod to farmers, in her speech to MEPs Ursula von der Leyen said she will suggest withdrawing a proposal on reducing risks of chemical plant production products, and that the Commission could put forward a different proposal.

A report on an ongoing strategic dialogue on the future of agriculture will be presented by late summer, von der Leyen said, stressing the need for a “long-term” prospect for the sector.

Speaking in the European parliament, the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, underscored the need for incentives for nature conservation.

She said Europe has the highest quality food in the world and farmers “play a central role in this system, and of course, they must be paid fairly for that.”

Noting that there is huge support from the EU budget for the sector, the president added:

Money is important, but it is not everything. Healthy natural resources are also key to maintaining high yields, and in particular, fertile soils has always been the backbone of our farmers’ livelihood.

And we know that 60 to 70% of soils in Europe are now in poor condition.

We can reverse these trends, and many farmers are precisely doing that, but we need to do more.

Now, effective nature protection must offer generous incentives for intervening. Farmers need a worthwhile business case for nature-enhancing measures – perhaps we have not made that case convincingly – a real incentive that goes beyond mere loss of yields is required.

Von der Leyen also said:

Public subsidies can provide those incentives, and for example, premium labelling in cooperation with retailers and processors. In other words, nature conservation can only be successful through a bottom-up and incentive-based approach.

Because only if our farmers can live off their land, will they invest in the future. And only if we achieve our climate and environmental goals together, will farmers be able to continue making a living. Our farmers are well-aware of this, and we should place more trust in them.

Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission president, told the European parliament this morning that “our farmers deserve to be listened to.”

While the European Council was in session, farmers from across Europe were taking to the streets.

Many of them feel pushed into a corner. Farmers are the first in line feeling the effects of climate change: droughts and floods have destroyed the harvest and threatened their livestocks. Farmers are feeling the impact of the Russian war: inflation, the rising cost of energy, the rising cost of fertilisers.

Nevertheless, they work hard every day to produce the quality food we eat. And for this I think we owe them appreciations and thanks and respect.

But, von der Leyen told MEPs, “issues have escalated in recent years” and “our farmers deserve to be listened to.”

She added:

I know that they are worried about the future of agriculture and about their future as farmers.

But they also know that agriculture needs to move to a more sustainable model of production so that their farms remain profitable in the years to come.

And we want to make sure that in this process, the farmers remain in the driving seat.

Von der Leyen stressed that a dialogue is ongoing.

We need to move beyond a polarised debate and to create trust. Trust is the crucial basis for viable solutions.

Good morning and welcome back to the blog.

Send tips and comments to lili.bayer@theguardian.com.