The European Union (EU) is under fire for its climate policy after farmer demonstrations throughout the continent. The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, intends to abandon a proposal to halve pesticide usage and exclude the agriculture sector from a stringent deadline for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 90% by 2040. Agriculture Commissioner Janusz Wojciechowski said that, although the EU should cut pesticide usage, farmers should not be forced to do so. He urged increasing financial incentives to encourage greener activities.
The EU aspires to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 55% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels. However, Wojciechowski warned that these modifications might jeopardize such lofty goals, since agricultural realities must be addressed. The farmers’ question is expected to dominate the electoral competition ahead of the European Parliament 2024 elections, with the next political cycle (2024-29) likely to be less green, potentially jeopardizing the implementation of the green new deal and slowing down its subsequent chapters, such as the extension of sustainability requirements to agriculture.
Farmers are at the center of one of the EU’s most significant and historical pieces of legislation: the Common Agricultural Policy, which gives 55 billion euros ($59.3 billion) in annual subsidies to the industry. The farmer demonstrations have even spread over the English Channel to the United Kingdom, where British farmers are denouncing international food imports in Dover.
Finally, the EU’s climate policies are being reconsidered as farmer protests spread throughout Europe. The EU’s emphasis on environmental objectives, as well as the need for further financial assistance, are contributing to rising tensions among farmers.
