Copa and Cogeca have said that the European Commission’s 'Roadmap towards Nature Credits', which aims to channel private finance into biodiversity and ecological restoration, lacks clarity.

Copa represents about two million European farmers and their families while Cogeca (the General Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives) represents the interests of European agri-food, forestry, and fishery cooperatives.

The two organisations stated that while rewarding environmental services is a sound principle, the roadmap lacks the clarity and foundational elements needed to ensure such a system works in practice.

The Roadmap towards Nature Credits aims to incentivise private investments into actions that protect and preserve nature, and reward those who undertake these actions and invest in them.

As the roadmap remains focused on broad and generic principles, Copa and Cogeca has cautioned against moving forward "without robust analysis and well-established groundwork".

"Experiences show that good intentions can sometimes seriously derail the very objectives they seek to achieve," Copa Cogeca outlined in a statement.

For Copa and Cogeca, the development of a nature credit system must address key issues - starting with the methodology for defining and measuring ‘nature credits’, which it said remains technically and scientifically complex.

They also feel that establishing the necessary preconditions is vital to ensure the system delivers for farmers, with long-term viability, accessibility and no additional administrative burden.

Copa Cogeca continued: "Any future system must work for all producers, across all EU regions, regardless of farm size, structure, or production model, be it small or large, mixed or specialised, intensive or extensive.

"Considering safeguards in this process would be equally essential to prevent land grabbing and protect against market distortions that could occur if productive land is diverted solely for nature credit generation by external actors.

"Without these protections, the entire approach risks becoming counterproductive," the organisations added.

Copa Cogeca have welcomed the announcement of a new expert group and said they look forward to actively engaging with the commission and other stakeholders.

Both organisations have said that they remain committed to shaping a system that delivers for nature while safeguarding the economic sustainability of the people who manage Europe’s land every day.