Franco-German Council of Ministers of January 22, 2023: de minimis curant ministri agriculturae

Franco-German Council of Ministers of January 22, 2023: the ministers of agriculture take care of the smallest things

André Heitz*

Mr. Marc Fesneau, our Minister of Agriculture (and Food Sovereignty), is he in tow of his German counterpart from the ranks of the GreensCem Ozdemir ?

This flashy title is not entirely accurate. The subjects mentioned below are important, their understanding by the ministers leaves much to be desired.

On the occasion of the Franco-German Council of Ministers held on January 22, 2023, as part of the celebration of the 60^e anniversary of the Élysée Treaty, the French and German Ministers of Agriculture, Marc Fesneau and Cem Özdemir, issued a joint press release to announce that they have ” decided to work closely together over the next few years on the implementation of the following key projects […] ».

Phew! It was feared that this was a general statement that somehow ignored the close cooperation in the past.

No, it’s on four” key projects ».

You read correctly : fouras the agriculture and agri-food sector faces a host of challenges.

And what projects! If Mr. Marc Fesneau was discreet in his press release – rightly as we will see – Mr. Cem Özdemir boasts: “ Together for a crisis-proof agriculture in Europe (together for crisis-resilient agriculture in Europe).

Finally, in terms of bragging… We are, according to this title, in minimizing the damage of crises…

Label (more) animal products

For the first project, we must quote the entire text of the press release so as not to lose any of the flavor of the great ambition :

« harmonized labeling of agricultural and food products at European level in order to better inform consumers, to increase transparency on the origin and composition and nutritional quality of food, as well as production methods, and to promote the efforts of our producers on the transition to sustainable food systems with consumers. »

It is a hobby of Mr. Cem Özdemir and the Greens Germans!

Their declared ambitions are to reduce the consumption of meat and, consequently, of livestock, and to make livestock farming more respectful of animal welfare (whatever that means) – see in particular here, here and here.

Clearly, a smaller and more strained German farm – if that happens – will find it hard to stand up to the competition. The program of the government coalition, here inspired by the Greensbelieves it can be remedied by labeling that would encourage consumers to buy virtuous, in other words German.

Mr. Marc Fesneau – and the French government – ​​follows!

While consumption is shrinking, while the decapitalization of cattle is faster than expected, in short, livestock farming is in crisis, partly linked to the problem of the renewal of generations of breeders, we are going – in principle, because we know what many press releases are worth – cooperating on a largely utopian project.

(Source)

Plant protein production

Here, too, we have poured into bombast, into noise as a substitute for action:

« Work together to strengthen the production of plant proteins in the European Union to take advantage of their favorable properties in terms of the environment, climate and food, thus making our food systems more independent and resilient. This presupposes simultaneously promoting research, production, processing and consumption. »

We’re going ” [œ]work together » et « that supposes “… But the ambition is great since we are aiming ” the European Union »… And growing more lentils and chickpeas will be good for the climate… Yes, yes, we assure you!

Adaptation and resilience of forests

We can make it short: there will be a group of experts dedicated to the fight against bark beetles ».

Reduction of the use and risk of plant protection products

A major project will consist of ” [r]affirm their respective commitment to reducing the use and risk of plant protection products “. We will do it ” by encouraging exchanges on alternative methods and there will be a ” joint working seminar ».

On this subject, we can only express a certain satisfaction: it could have been worse!

But this does not bode well for the discussions and negotiations which will soon have to take place on the Commission’s draft regulation for the sustainable use of pesticides (Regulation ON). Many observers predict that it will/would have a devastating impact on agricultural production and hence food sovereignty. But, implicitly, our minister undertook to defend a project in the indefensible state.

And of course…

…« [l]he two ministers have agreed to regularly discuss the progress of these new projects and to continue together the implementation of ongoing cooperation ».

We expected no less…

Partnership ?

The German press release opens with a statement from Mr. Cem Özdemir:

« The Federal Minister Özdemir says about it:Germany and France enjoy a unique and irreplaceable relationship, the foundations of which were laid 60 years ago. I also take responsibility For me of find a common response to the current challenges facing all of Europe: climate crisis, species extinction and Putin’s terrible war in Ukraine – in the face of these overlapping crises, we must more than ever commit ourselves to resilient and resistant agriculture to crises. We can only make it together“. »

The underlined bold is mine.

For a text obsessive, this statement means, on the one hand, that Mr. Cem Özdemir was – or claims to have been – and wants to be in the driver’s seat.

Agriculture also appears as the least of the worries, or as an adjustment variable in the face of challenges that are – or are supposed to be (in fact, some subjects are related) – much greater.

« [N]e must more than ever commit ourselves… »? With a group of experts on bark beetles and a working seminar on alternatives to pesticides (rest assured: only synthetic), the future is on the right track…

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* André Heitz is an agricultural engineer and retired international civil servant of the United Nations system. He has served the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). In his last position, he was the Director of the WIPO Coordination Office in Brussels.

A version of this article originally appeared on Counterpoints.