On 20 May 2020, the European Commission adopted a new Biodiversity Strategy and a Farm to Fork Strategy. In line with the European Green Deal, the two strategies propose ambitious EU actions and commitments to halt biodiversity loss in Europe and worldwide and transform our food systems into global standards for competitive sustainability, the protection of human and planetary health, as well as the livelihoods of all actors in the food value chain. As core parts of the European Green Deal, the two strategies will also support the economic recovery.
The new Biodiversity Strategy tackles the key drivers of biodiversity loss, such as unsustainable use of land and sea, overexploitation of natural resources, pollution, and invasive alien species. Adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic, the strategy is a central element of the EU's recovery plan, crucial to preventing and building resilience to future outbreaks and providing immediate business and investment opportunities for restoring the EU's economy. The role of research and innovation is key to achieving the Biodiversity Strategy goal of healthy and resilient ecosystems by 2030. It enables a transformational change that engages all sectors of European society and economy. Investing in research, innovation and knowledge exchange worldwide is key to collect the most useful data and develop the best nature-based solutions. The upcoming pan-European Biodiversity Partnership and long-term strategic research agenda will play a major role in this context.
The Farm to Fork Strategy will enable the transition to a sustainable EU food system that safeguards food security and ensures access to healthy diets sourced from a healthy planet. It will reduce the environmental and climate footprint of the EU food system and strengthen its resilience, protecting citizens' health and ensuring the livelihoods of economic operators. The strategy sets concrete targets to transform the EUs food system, including a reduction by 50% of the use and risk of pesticides, a reduction by at least 20% of the use of fertilizers, a reduction by 50% in sales of antimicrobials used for farmed animals and aquaculture, and reaching 25% of agricultural land under organic farming. (Source: era.gv.at)
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