CD&V fears the impact of the European Nature Restoration Act: “Flanders could lose up to 172,000 hectares of agricultural land” | Interior

Last week, the EPP, the European umbrella party of Christian Democrats and conservatives, spoke out against the nature restoration law. The law aims to restore 20 percent of European nature by 2030. There is also a proposal to halve the use of pesticides by 2030.

The EPP says it wants to defend farmers and farming communities. “We reject the law as it is on the table today. The proposal obliges European farmers to fill in 10 percent of their agricultural land with landscape elements with a high diversity value (…). With these and other measures, 172,000 hectares of usable agricultural land may disappear in Flanders,” says Vandenkdelaere. He and the other signatories of the letter call for an additional impact analysis, with a detailed cost-benefit analysis per Member State and region.

“We do not support policies that lead to a bureaucratic nightmare, reduce food production and cause a nitrogen XXL crisis,” he continues. The debate on the law comes a few weeks after the Flemish government reached a nitrogen agreement under great pressure.

The European Commission also took part in the debate. Commissioner Mairead McGuinness said she understood all the concerns, but also called for attention to be drawn to the sustainable nature of agriculture. In particular, she suggested “finding a way in which farmers feel fully respected.”