The Green Deal appears on the lips and banners of protesting farmers and others. It is not a completely new project – work on its various elements has been going on for years. Some of them concern environmental protection or agriculture, but the Green Deal concerns many other issues: energy, industry, transport.
What is the Green Deal?
In 2019, the European Union decided to become climate neutral by 2050. This means we will cut our greenhouse gas emissions to almost zero, with the small remainder being offset by CO2 removal. This requires the transformation of all sectors of the economy: replacing gas or coal power plants with clean energy sources, electrification of transport, changes in agriculture and industry. These changes will not happen on their own. To achieve its goal, the EU declared that it would present a package of legal and financial solutions – under the common slogan of the Green Deal. The idea was to combine environmental, climate and health protection with economic development, improving the competitiveness and quality of life of Europeans.
When was the Green Deal created?
The project is not new – the Green Deal concept was presented in 2019. Since then, its individual elements have been gradually adopted. It should be emphasized that the Green Deal is a slogan that covers many different initiatives, rights and elements. In 2021, the European Climate Law was adopted, which includes the most important climate protection goals. A target to cut emissions for 2030 (by 55%) was set and the Fit for 55 package was adopted, which translates this target into specific policies.
Did Poland agree to this?
Although PiS politicians are now trying to pretend otherwise, almost all elements of the Green Deal were adopted during their government. Poland either agreed to green policies or – in some cases – was alone in opposing it and the law was passed by most EU countries. First, in December 2019, to adopt the climate neutrality goal for 2050 – which is the foundation of the Green Deal. After previously blocking this right, Mateusz Morawiecki’s government did not use the right of veto, but only negotiated the inclusion of information in the document that “one member state” may not be able to achieve climate neutrality at the national level by this date. It was irrelevant to the purpose of the entire Union.
A year later, it was 55 percent. – this is where many of the regulations currently being introduced, the so-called Fit for 55 package. Here again, Poland first opposed the decision, but finally agreed and it was again adopted unanimously. Later, our country (still under PiS rule) was alone in opposing some specific regulations, e.g. regarding emission standards for cars. But unanimity was no longer required there and they passed without any problems despite the opposition of one country.
How does the Green Deal relate to agriculture?
Agriculture is responsible for approximately 10 percent. greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union. On the one hand, it can be considered that this is not much compared to, for example, energy production. On the other hand, if we are to achieve climate neutrality, we must address all emissions, including those from agriculture. In addition, some practices have other negative effects on health and the environment (e.g. factory farms, excessive use of artificial fertilizers or pesticides).
The other side of the coin is the exposure of agriculture to climate change. Cultivation is obviously dependent on the weather, and drought, floods, seasonal changes, and extreme weather phenomena – which will intensify with climate change – will hit farmers especially hard.
Various elements of the Green Deal are intended to address both issues. For example, regulations adopted in 2023 are intended to protect soil and reduce food waste. The EU has set itself goals to increase the amount of organic crops. It was planned to reduce the amount of pesticides used (by 50 percent by 2030) – but this is one of the plans that the European Commission recently withdrew under the pressure of farmers’ protests. A new proposal on this matter is to appear after a “broader dialogue” with farmers. The EU has created the “From Farm to Fork” strategy, which covers various aspects of sustainable food production, from production to packaging labeling.
Nature conservation strategies are also linked to agriculture. The EU wants, among other things, restoring part of the earth to nature or – which is not only to help nature, but also to support the fight against the effects of climate change. Some “green” ideas also found their way into the Common Agricultural Policy, the most important EU plan for agriculture. The Green Deal will therefore influence (to some extent) the shape of the Common Agricultural Policy, but these are two separate elements of EU policy.
Does the Green Deal raise costs for farmers?
Introducing some new practices or, for example, not using a certain area of the farm may mean additional costs for farmers. But the matter is much more complicated. For example, the fallowing proposed by the EU (i.e. not carrying out agricultural production on part of the land) excludes part of the farm from work – but firstly, the regulations apply only to 1/4 of the largest farms in Poland, and secondly, fallowing helps improve the quality of soil, which will bear fruit in the future.
implementing all the Elements of the Green Deal in agriculture will lead to a reduction in the productivity of some crops, which would mean higher costs and reduce farmers’ income. On the other hand, according to the same report, the partial introduction of EZŁ “may protect Polish farmers against a decline in income.” “Minimizing the negative effects of implementing EZŁ will require financial and substantive support for agriculture from the state and the EU,” we read in the report.
It should also be remembered that we are talking largely about regulations that are yet to come into force. The current financial problems of farmers result from a number of reasons, such as the rising costs of fuels and fertilizers, unrelated to green plans for agriculture.
Will the Green Deal “destroy Polish agriculture”?
Various groups that are not necessarily related to agriculture or have no common interests with farmers are increasingly taking part in farmers’ protests. You can hear about the “destruction of Polish agriculture” from, for example, businessmen from the fur industry, who also consider breeding fur cats or minks in cages as “agriculture”. And sometimes the protesting farmers themselves don’t like this, as she wrote in
And according to a study conducted by the Ministry of Agriculture in 2020, most farmers declared that they would be able to implement some of the Green Deal solutions (e.g. limiting the use of fertilizers or pesticides). Some farmers say that they expect, above all, real support in implementing such plans, reducing bureaucracy or adapting new regulations to those already in force.
As I mentioned earlier, climate change and the broader environmental crisis pose a very serious threat to agriculture in Poland (and not only). Water and air pollution, extinction of species (e.g. pollinators), soil exploitation, unpredictable and dangerous weather, effects of drought – all this will affect agriculture and, consequently, increase food prices. A complete abandonment of green policies would perhaps bring relief in the short term – but it would bring mounting negative consequences in the future.
Source: Gazeta
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