Today, the European Commission launched a public consultation on the common agricultural policy (CAP)’s impact on natural resources, including biodiversity, soil and water. The consultation aims to gather information and feedback from stakeholders and citizens on the effectiveness, efficiency, and relevance of the current CAP tools related to natural resources, as well as their coherence with EU action in other areas and the added value of these tools being implemented at the EU level.
Stakeholders such as representatives of the agri-food and forestry sectors (including farmers, input providers, processors and retailers), as well as national and regional authorities, advisory services, NGOs as well as the wider public will now have 15 weeks to contribute their views.
The public consultation covers the already-published studies on biodiversity and water, as well as the on-going evaluation support study on soil. All will then feed into an upcoming Commission report (Staff Working Document) that will evaluate the impact of the CAP on natural resources.
Background
The important role of agriculture and forestry in managing natural resources is acknowledged and well reflected in the EU’s CAP. One of its three general objectives is the sustainable management of natural resources and climate action. The prevention of soil erosion, the improvement of soil management, water management, as well as restoring, preserving and enhancing biodiversity constitute key elements of this CAP objective.
Related links
Sustainable agriculture in the EU