N-VA: “EU agricultural policy must protect Flemish biodiversity and family farmers”

The N-VA group in the European Parliament is outraged by the position of the European Parliament on the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). “This is a missed opportunity,” says MEP Johan Van Overtveldt. “The traditional parties are full of talk about more ambitious climate measures, but when it comes to agriculture, they chase an old-fashioned policy through Parliament. We are committed to a modern policy that is consistent with nature, biodiversity and climate policy.”

For the N-VA, the new agricultural policy must be an instrument for ensuring future-oriented agriculture with a profitable business model, where agriculture is a natural partner in the fight against climate change. The CAP has to ensure that enough food is grown sustainably. It must also strive for agricultural products at reasonable prices for consumers and a decent income for farmers.

“We stand for a European agricultural policy that supports and protects our Flemish biodiversity and our family farmers as well. However, the vote in the European Parliament is diametrically opposed to this,” say the MEPs of the N-VA.

Not good for nature, nor for the Flemish farmer

However, the same Parliament recently voted in favour of very ambitious climate targets and asserted that all sectors should contribute to them. When it comes to agricultural policy, however, the objectives of biodiversity and greening suddenly no longer seem so important. MEP and chairman of the Committee on Budgets, Johan Van Overtveldt, says: “This inconsistency will not be without its price and consequences. When one-third of the European budget is, as it were, released to make a substantial contribution to a sustainable transformation, the pressure not only shifts entirely to other sectors, it puts the whole issue at risk.”

According to MEP Geert Bourgeois, the Flemish farmer is not a winner with the CAP. “So far, European agricultural policy has mainly led to massive scaling up, with disastrous consequences for small Flemish farms. Small, family-run businesses that offer added value are not stimulated, and the plans are mortgaging agriculture tailored to the Flemish landscape.”