Following the vote on the opinion of European Parliament AGRI Committee on the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030

Copa and Cogeca acknowledge the outcome of the vote that took place today in the European Parliament AGRI Committee on the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. The implementation of this ambitious Strategy and its outcomes will largely depend on the motivation, support and future involvement of the actors on the ground, that is to say farmers, forest owners, their cooperatives and other land users. No sustainable solution leading to the maintenance of biodiversity can be achieved without them or without active land and forest management.

Therefore, we appreciate the pragmatic work of the rapporteur MEP Isabel Carvalhais and the shadow rapporteurs on bringing a much needed balanced perspective when it comes to agriculture and forestry. We particularly welcome the call for an impact assessment of the Strategy and its measures, the need to secure the appropriate toolbox of alternatives, the need for alternative solutions where restrictions are put in place and the focus on the bottom-up processes and voluntary measures in the implementation. However, we need to further ensure that land protection and other targets are realistic and derive from a SWOT and needs analysis ensuring a comprehensive assessment that does not create additional burdens for farmers, forest owners and Member States with new legislations. All farming systems must be given an equal chance to contribute to different EU objectives.

We expect that the rapporteur for the ENVI Committee, MEP Luena, will have a constructive approach and incorporate key elements of the proposals made by MEP Isabel Carvalhais in the upcoming Parliament report.