What is the Green Deal and why does it bother farmers so much? The expert makes it clear

On Friday, February 9, a nationwide farmers’ strike began. Protests were organized in over 260 places in the country to express opposition to, among others, the climate policy pushed by the European Commission. This is about the Green Deal, a package of political initiatives that is intended to lead the European Union to climate neutrality by 2050.

What is the Green Deal? Why are farmers protesting against it?

The package of EU laws presented under the banner of the Green Deal concerns, among other things, limiting the use of pesticides and fertilizers in agriculture and improving food quality as part of the implementation of the “farm to fork” strategy. The strategy also assumes reducing the use of antibiotics and increasing the share of organic farming. According to farmers, the regulations being pushed by Brussels will result in increased production costs and a simultaneous decline in income.

Due to the growing dissatisfaction among European farmers, Ursula von der Leyen has already announced the withdrawal of some of the provisions and projects as part of the implementation of the Green Deal. This includes a project that aimed to reduce the use of pesticides by half by 2030. The issue of compulsory fallowing of 4 percent of land was also withdrawn. Moreover, agriculture was excluded from the Commission’s communication on mandatory CO2 reduction by 90 percent by 2040.

Michał Kołodziejczak about the Green Deal: This will be the end of Polish agriculture

Deputy Minister of Agriculture Michał Kołodziejczak spoke about the Green Deal on Internet radio. – Farmers, not only in Poland but throughout Europe, are waking up the entire European society and this is a great thing they are doing. The first farmers, also in Poland, said a few years ago that the Green Deal or opening the border with Ukraine would be the end for our agriculture. I have exactly the same opinion – said the Civic Coalition politician.

Organic farmers and experts from the Climate Coalition have the opposite opinion. In their opinion, “the direction given by the European Green Deal is good for farmers, consumers and the environment.” The problem, however, is the lack of support from public opinion, without which “it is impossible to reform the economy.” – The European Green Deal is becoming a synonym for an oppressive and bureaucratic system, not solutions necessary from the point of view of food security and appropriate food quality – says Paulina Sobiesiak-Penszko from the Institute of Public Affairs.

– It is not necessary regulations that threaten rural communities, but the progressive industrialization of agriculture, which is a source of profits for increasingly fewer and richer biochemical and food companies. Without climate protection, but also without biodiversity protection, our food security will be increasingly threatened – emphasizes Prof. Paulina Kramarz from the Institute of Environmental Sciences.