European farmers and cooperatives are likewise pleased with the ambitious goal to increase the financial resources destined for reaching sustainability and biodiversity objectives.
Convention on Biological Diversity – COP15, taking place in the following days in Kunming (China) aims at making great strides in preserving, conserving, and restoring biodiverse habitats across the world. Copa and Cogeca welcome the Convention's ambitions and remind that it is essential that the aim of enhancing biodiversity is not only constituted by means of decreased management and abandonment of our landscapes, because on the contrary it can actually benefit from a greater sustainable management of our countryside.
European farmers and cooperatives are likewise pleased with the ambitious goal to increase the financial resources destined for reaching sustainability and biodiversity objectives by over 200 billion per year, potentially reaching 700 billion dollars per year. By mobilising private and public finances to encourage the uptake of sustainable practices, increasing incentives for green technologies, and enabling world farmers to earn a decent living while transitioning towards a more sustainable production, it will be possible to make great strides in our fight against climate change.
It is therefore essential to set out achievable goals and that any reductions or reforms affecting the farming and forestry sector do not harm their competitive advantage and the fulfilment of their primary goal, namely being: producing food and raw materials for a growing world population. If a fair transition is to be achieved, any restrictions of land-use and essential agricultural inputs must have genuine alternatives and compensation resources in place. Agriculture cannot and will not be changed by the elimination of subsides or restriction of inputs, but by the encouragement of farmers and agricultural communities through genuine solutions and higher valorisation of their work.