On December 6 and 7, AREPO participated to the 2016 EU Agricultural Outlook conference. This edition focused on the future challenges for EU agriculture related in particular to climate change and resource availability.
President Junker delivered the opening speech of the Conference (recording / text), reminding that CAP was the first policy of the EU. He recalled the importance of farmers for food security as well as for job and growth in the EU.
Both President Junker and the European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Phil Hogan, announced that in the early months of 2017 the European Commission will launch a public consultation on the future of the CAP. They also announced that next year the EC will publish a Communication on modernization and simplification of the CAP.
The EU needs to tackle the big challenge of global warming. The European Commissioner for Climate Action & Energy, Miguel Arias Cañete, highlighted that agriculture and forestry should contribute strongly to limit greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions.
The European Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Karmenu Vella, put forward the environmental challenges for agriculture such as water and air quality, biodiversity and soil degradation.
Climate smart agriculture, innovation, resource constraint and farm practices were at the center of the first day of conference. Two farmers explained how they reduce emissions on their farms, showing that agriculture could be part of the solution for climate action. The Commission and the JRC presented several insights for the future development of CAP.
The second day focused on the latest outlook for EU dairy, meat and arable crop markets for the next ten years. Published by Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development with the support of the Joint Research Centre to coincide with the conference, this Outlook Report covers the prospects for these sectors from 2016-26.
For more information, consult the conference website: http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/events/2016-outlook-conference_en
