Friends of the Earth Europe (FoEE) has warned that EU farm subsidies flowing to new member states as of 16 October may pose serious threats to the environment.
In a new report released on 15 October, FoEE said the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) will favour large-scale intensive farming in countries like Poland, leading to increased use of chemical pesticides and fertilisers. This, the NGO warned, will result in higher health risks, water pollution, soil damage and a loss of biodiversity.
The risks are heightened, the group said, because new member states do not need to abide to rules agreed in 2003, which impose standards related to environment, animal welfare and food safety.
"While some basic environmental conditions for farming were agreed in last year's CAP reform, the new member states will only be obliged to implement them from 2009 on," FoEE explained.
Intensive farming, the NGO argued, will also force many small farmers and food processing enterprises out of business, leading to a rise in rural unemployment.
On the other hand, FoEE sees opportunities from the so-called second pillar of CAP, which will lead a country like Slovenia to triple its number of farms under agri-environmental contracts. Improved legislation on hazardous pesticides, greater pollution controls and higher animal welfare standards are also cited as benefits from CAP.
It is now up to governments in the new member states to decide which agricultural model they want to apply, FoEE said, pointing at the large differences in the way they have planned to use CAP money. "While the Czech Republic plans to spend 49% on agri-environmental programmes in 2004-2006, Poland or Lithuania plan only 10%."
"The new member states must not blindly follow the old intensive agricultural model leading to food safety scandals, water pollution, dead soil, and biodiversity loss," said Martin Konecny of FoEE.
