6.12.2022
EN
Official Journal of the European Union
C 465/31 Tuesday 3 May 2022
59.
Notes that the Joint Research Centre’s report entitled ‘Modelling environmental and climate ambition in the agricultural sector with the CAPRI model’ (8) has indicated that there is a need for productivity gains with respect to organic farming and nutrient management, which can be enhanced, inter alia, by precision farming, new digital technologies and other innovative techniques;
60.
Notes that innovative digital tools have the potential to significantly increase transparency and traceability, thereby combating fraud and illegal production methods, as well as improving consumer confidence; therefore encourages the Commission, including through the CAP Strategic Plans, to ensure greater deployment of digital technologies, such as precision farming and blockchain in organic farming; stresses, however, that these technologies complement the systemic sustainability approach of organic farming and that the privacy, profitability and independence of farmers when it comes to data must be ensured;
Improving the contribution of organic farming to sustainability
61.
Reiterates the importance of research and innovation for the sustainability of the organic farming sector and in meeting societal expectations on biodiversity, climate change and climate adaptation, animal welfare and efficient resource use, and welcomes the Commission’s intention to earmark Horizon Europe funding to support these aims; stresses, in this context, the need for research and innovation to encourage the conversion to organic agriculture, including livestock production, to find alternatives for certain inputs both in farming and processing so as to increase yields and to ensure the availability of the necessary protein feed, vitamins, plant protection products, in particular biocontrol solutions, fertilisers and genetic resources to further develop robust farming systems and increase tolerance to drought, pests and disease; calls on the Commission to stimulate and foster cooperation between research communities working on organic and conventional food and farming, in particular through the agricultural European Innovation Partnership (EIP-AGRI);
62.
Encourages a science-based approach regarding soil fertility and the need to develop, accept and incentivise innovations in novel plant nutrient sources in organic farming, including increased nutrient recycling through adequate processing and nutrient separation and, where suitable and appropriate, fertilising products produced from renewable sources, such as biomass waste and animal manure to avoid long-term nutrient deficits; recalls the importance of livestock manure as an organic fertiliser and encourages its sustainable use in the cultivation cycle; calls on the Commission to assess new recycled materials containing essential plant nutrients (phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen) for their future addition to the list of input materials in Regulation (EU) 2018/848, in line with the principles of organic farming and ensuring quality, safety and consumer confidence;
63.
Calls for more research into and information on the potential benefits of using plant biostimulants and bio-based soil improvers in organic farming systems and how they contribute to nutrient absorption and better performance in this production model, in order to allow their wider uptake and help reduce the gap between organic and conventional yields; points out that the promotion of the use of an adequate farm-specific combination of different external nutrients, on top of biological nitrogen fixation, could address the challenge of the imbalances in nutrient budgets in organic farming systems;
64.
Highlights the urgent need for the production of organic plant proteins to be developed and the production of organic legumes, including in forage systems, to be stimulated in the European Union, in order to decrease the dependency of the organic sector on imports; urges the Commission to draw up a dedicated strategic plan in this regard;
65.
Welcomes the contribution of organic farming to the reduction of the use of synthetic pesticides and calls on the Commission, when drafting the new legislation on the sustainable use of pesticides, to define biocontrol products and to increase the availability of biocontrol solutions and natural substances, which have scope for much wider use, by improving and speeding up the evaluation and authorisation process;
(8)
Barreiro Hurle, J., Bogonos, M., Himics, M., Hristov, J., Perez Dominguez, I., Sahoo, A., Salputra, G., Weiss, F., Baldoni, E. and Elleby, C., Modelling environmental and climate ambition in the agricultural sector with the CAPRI model, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2021.