On World Soil Day, Copa & Cogeca underlined the important role of farmers to ensure that soils are healthy and productive, providing win-win solutions for the climate and the economy.
Copa & Cogeca Working Party chairwoman Liisa Pietola said “Healthy soils are vital for a productive and competitive EU agriculture sector at the same time as ensuring win-win solutions for both the climate and the economy. Across the EU, there are 171 policy instruments in place that deal with soil protection”.
“Climate change is real and affects both soils and productivity. European farmers have good practices in place that benefit not only the EU but the whole globe. We need to build on those, and recognize and account of them and also improve on this at farm level in the long run. Research is continuing into how to properly take account of the benefits of these good soil management practices for climate change.”, she added.
Wrapping up, she underlined the need to ensure that we do not repeat the mistakes of the past with the draft EU soil framework directive which would not necessarily improve soil protection in the EU. “Its only consequence would have been more bureaucracy for farmers and agri-cooperatives”, she warned.
World Soil Day celebrates the importance of soil as a critical component of the natural system and as a vital contribution to food, water and energy security and its ability to mitigate biodiversity loss and climate change.
