EU Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski has said that there will be a “comprehensive impact assessment” carried out on the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies.
Last month, the commission’s Joint Research Centre (JRC) published a technical report on the potential impact of selected targets of the strategies. The commissioner said that this was “not an impact assessment” and used the CAPRI model which “has its research limitations”.
“A comprehensive impact assessment will follow before legislation process starts and when we know all National Strategic Plans for the future CAP [Common Agricultural Policy],” the commissioner said in a tweet.
“Hence, analysis will continue, including changing food consumption patterns and taking the plans into account.”
‘Force through’ Farm to Fork targets
The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has said that the commission “cannot try to force through the targets in Farm to Fork through the back door of the CAP National Strategic Plans”.
“The only assessment so far of the impact of the Farm to Fork strategy on incomes and food security was done by the USDA, and it was very concerning,” IFA president Tim Cullinan said.
The JRC technical report, “in line with other reports, showed a 5% to 15% decline in agriculture production and a 10% increase in production costs”.
Cullinan added that some of what’s proposed in the next CAP “will have far-reaching and significant implications for Irish farmers, and the wider sector”.