Ontario Grain Farmer October 2021

For a fair, healthy and environmentally-friendly food system Farm to Fork Strategy 32 LAUNCHED INMAY of 2020, the European Union’s (EU) Farm to Fork strategy is an ambitious plan that aims to transition to a sustainable food system that protects food security and ensures access to healthy food produced on a healthy continent. While the plan is impressive in terms of its actions and expected outcomes, many are concerned that it will have the opposite effect by destabilizing food security and raising food prices. Farm to Fork is a strategy under the EU’s Green Deal. Its aim is to accelerate the transition to a sustainable food system that, among other things, has a neutral or positive impact on the environment, mitigates climate change, ensures food security, health and nutrition, and preserves food affordability while generating fair returns for Europe’s farmers. The strategy has outlined 27 actions that should help the EU reach its ambitious goals by 2030, including: • A 50 per cent reduction in the use and risk of pesticides • A reduction by at least 20 per cent in the use of fertilizers, including animal manure • A reduction by 50 per cent in the sales of antimicrobials used for farmed animals and aquaculture • Boosting organic production to 25 per cent of all agricultural land (the current level is eight per cent) CANADIAN IMPACT At a high level, Pierre Petelle, president and CEO of CropLife Canada, says there is not much to argue about when it comes to the Raising concern THE EU’S FARM TO FORK STRATEGY Melanie Epp ambitions of the Green Deal and the Farm to Fork strategy. But there are points where their thinking deviates as well. “When we look at some of the specific goals of the Farm to Fork strategy, for example, you know, 25 per cent of the land under organic production, 50 per cent reduction the use of quote-unquote hazardous pesticides… All those things are potential red flags,” he says. Petelle did point out that none of these ambitions are currently enforced by legislation. They are just that — ambitions. His concern, though, is that many of the strategies somewhat contradict the end goals. Because organic production requires more tillage passes to control weeds, for instance, it could actually release more carbon than it stores. He also pointed to the lack of uptake of technology, such as gene-edited or genetically modified crops, which could help lower the use of some pesticides and boost yields even under less-than-desirable conditions. “I think that'll be the true test,” said Petelle. “If they're really serious about some of these climate goals, then they have to open the door to technology. Otherwise, they'll be almost impossible to attain.” Petelle is perhaps most concerned about some of the language used in the Farm to Fork strategy. The EU frames its food production system as the ‘gold standard’ and this, says Petelle, could be problematic for the world’s developing nations. He is also concerned that the EU could expect imported crops to meet the same standards that EU farmers have to meet. “The reality is if everyone in the world adopted these policies, we frankly would not have enough food to feed the world,” he says. CHALLENGES In a recent email, Max Schulman, member of the Finnish Farmers Organisation in Copa and Cogeca, says that EU farmers could surely Market Development