European Circular Economy Action Plan
However, a well-functioning EU bioeconomy relies on a truly dynamic farming and forestry sector. In order for bioeconomy to reach its full potential it must continue to be a priority for the EU and coherent measures and funding must be made available, including in the future CAP, to help farmers, forest owners and their cooperatives to enhance their contribution. In this regards the action plan proposed today by the Commission is a good but still leaves room for improvement according to Copa-Cogeca.
Copa and Cogeca consider that it is important that food waste is included as one of the key elements of this action plan. In this regards, it is essential to make a clear distinction between what is “avoidable” and what is “non-avoidable”. EU needs a coherent legislative framework, tailored economic support and science-based political decision making to reposition agriculture at the centre of the circular economy, improving the farmers’ toolbox and their access to innovation (biological, technological and societal). Europe needs an all-encompassing multi-stakeholder approach to collecting unsold, unconsumed and inedible food and re-directing it into feed manufacture, biofuel generation, or biogas production. Agriculture is a key sector capable of closing the gap in the food chain and making our society truly circular.
Copa and Cogeca welcome Commission’s acknowledgment of the natural carbon dioxide removals from the atmosphere through sustainable forest management and carbon farming as essential part of the climate neutrality objective. Copa and Cogeca argue that a regulatory framework for certification of carbon removals based on robust and transparent carbon accounting could provide clarity also for agriculture and forestry in the long-term. However, Copa and Cogeca do not agree that environmental sustainability claims should be based on the Product Environmental Footprint (PEF) methods. Currently the stakeholder advisory mechanism of the PEF is not balanced in taking into account all stakeholder views. In addition externalities such as carbon sequestration, biodiversity and water management must be included in any possible environmental sustainability footprint method. In this respect the further work of the Commission on carbon removals accounting is crucial.
