In the upcoming European mandate, several challenges await Europe’s politicians. These challenges range from ongoing issues like tackling climate change and remaining competitive with other regions in the world to newer issues like embracing technology and preparing for new threats.
A crucial element of many of these challenges is the agriculture sector. The hurdles Europe's farmers face are wider than commonly perceived. CropLife Europe was established to advocate for a toolbox approach to modern farming methods utilising innovation and technology. It aims to equip Europe's farmers with solutions to tackle crop pests and diseases. This toolbox includes a variety of solutions, from biopesticides and conventional pesticides to digital agronomy and biotechnology.
During a recent interview, The Parliament had the opportunity to sit down with Olivier de Matos, the Director General of CropLife Europe. In this insightful conversation, he shared his views on the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing European agriculture. He also discussed the potential contributions of the crop solutions sector to farmers and outlined how the next mandate can facilitate the necessary changes for a transition to a more sustainable and resilient agriculture.
We must provide regulatory certainty so that farmers are encouraged to innovate through well supported R&D
As a collective, Europe’s farmers find themselves in a tough place. “It’s important to have a reality check” said de Matos. On a personal level, Europe’s farmers must sustainably produce enough food. “It’s a tall order, I know” he said. But he remains optimistic. He sees technology and innovation as answers to many of the challenges farmers face.
The equation is simple, “we need farmers to produce food, and farmers need access to technology to produce it sustainably”, explains de Matos. “A new generation of both politicians and farmers bring about the needed enthusiasm and ideas around technology and innovation to deal with the challenges faced by the sector” added de Matos.
European farmers, synonymous with the backbone of society, tirelessly work to ensure food security for all. Their work is integral to providing food and resources, a fact exemplified best by de Matos who remarked, "In Europe, we've been accustomed to food on our plates, and this is due wholeheartedly to our farmers. We need to appreciate and champion our farmers as they secure our food provisions". Food security has gained prominence due to recent global events like the COVID-19 pandemic and the outbreak of war in Europe. Strategic autonomy has become central to debates across the policy field, and it is clear that Europe is prioritising this moving forward.
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Olivier de Matos, is Director General of CropLife Europe
For the agriculture sector, the focus should be on what farmers need to remain competitive whilst continuing to transform to more sustainable production. De Matos underlines several obstacles to this transformation. “We need farmers and we need the next generation of farmers. This new generation bring with them new enthusiasm and ideas on how to deal with these challenges facing the industry” added de Matos.
One example provided is the inequalities between urban and rural areas. “5G and broadband access is something that needs to be addressed in all of Europe’s rural areas. They are extremely important for digital agronomy and the future farming tools” emphasised de Matos. A lack of access to these technologies leaves these areas to fight challenges with fewer resources than others. Access to biopesticides, often used complementary with or instead of conventional pesticides was a further example raised by de Matos.
We need farmers and farmers need access to technology
Innovation and the desire to provide Europe’s farmers with a “full toolbox” of solutions is at the essence of CropLife Europe’s activities. “There’s no one-size-fits-all model for Europe’s farming” highlighted de Matos. “Not only must farmers be able to select the correct tool due to production method, they also must be able to select the correct tool owing to the situation and environment of their own country” added de Matos. As a bloc of 27 member states spanning over 4 million km², climates and weather systems differ significantly. “Diversity: that’s the beauty of Europe” de Matos reiterated.
How can we get to a sustainable and supportive place to help Europe’s farmers continue this work? “We need to empower Europe’s farmers with an outcome-based policy framework. We must provide regulatory certainty so farmers are encouraged to innovate through well-supported R&D” argued de Matos. Central to achieving this is the continued use of public and private partnerships and open dialogue. These partnerships ensure that expertise can be shared and evidence-based policies can be crafted. “Future innovation can put the EU in a leadership seat. To achieve this, we need to increase our speed whilst maintaining a focus on safety” concluded de Matos.
As part of CropLife Europe’s 2030 commitments, its members have pledged 14 billion euros to be invested in innovative technologies, with four billion dedicated to biopesticides and ten billion for digital agronomy. “These solutions could be available to farmers in the next few years. All that is needed is the regulatory framework to facilitate access for the farmers to these technologies”.
With an array of challenges set to come, the sector is ready to continue providing innovative solutions to help farmers fight pests and diseases. What is now needed is for innovation to be embraced and the right regulatory framework to be adopted.