Dacian Cioloş: Organic farming is my next mission

Supported by the right and the left, the Commissioner for Agriculture, Dacian Ciolos, defends his reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), which is expected to be adopted this year. Presseurop met with him at the BioFach Organic Trade Fair in Nuremberg.

Presseurop: What is the status of the CAP in the aftermath of the European Council on February 7 and 8, in which the 27 member states agreed the EU budget for 2014-2020?

Dacian Cioloş: The fact that the European Council reached a decision on the budget was very important for agriculture, because in the absence of an agreement, we would have been unable to move forward with talks. I cannot say that I am delighted by the fact that the sum initially proposed by the Commission has been docked by 6 per cent. But if you look at the amount that was docked from the overall budget, you will see that the cuts in agriculture are lower than average.

What are the next steps for CAP reform?
As I was saying, the 6 per cent budget reduction will not affect the reform of the CAP. The decision will have to be approved by parliament, in March we will have the Agriculture Council’s decision, then, in April, we will begin trilateral talks – with the Agriculture Council, the European Parliament and the Commission.

You must often come under pressure from agri-food industry lobbyists. How do you go about imposing your point of view?
I have no difficulty imposing my ideas. I try to listen, make suggestions, and to convince them with rock-solid logic, even the most stubborn ones. You have to bear in mind that there are certain limits in agriculture which even lobbyists have to take into account if they want to avoid serious consequences. One obvious fact, which has not been decreed by the Commission and does not figure in any legislation, is that problems emerge very quickly whenever the connection with nature is not sustained: for example the soil depletion that occurs when adequate fertiliser is not used. Even those lobbyists who are not supporters of the reform have to acknowledge this kind of logic.
Having said that, the difficulties of our current situation are to some extent our fault too, because, as consumers, we want more produce, and we want it faster and cheaper. So we push farmers in a certain direction. It is not going to be be easy to change course now, because investment in agriculture takes place over generations. But I believe that when you have solid arguments and a willingness to listen to others, you can reach a positive compromise that will move things in the right direction. Having spoken with many of those who have criticised the reform, I have realised that they are not motivated by ill will, but by simply by a need to defend their interests.

Do organic farming and greening form part of this positive compromise?
In my view, the idea of organic agriculture is one that extends beyond the traditional paradigm for the development of agriculture. It is a novel concept which has slowly been making progress — a conventional form of agricultural practice, but one that demonstrates that things can be done differently and one that meets a certain need on the part of consumers. However, I do not think we should contemplate separating European agriculture into two, or that we should say that we will support organic agriculture and abandon other existing models. We have to strike a balance, and take advantage of the fact that we are now at crossroads where some of the ideas from organic farming can be used to influence more traditional practice so that it can move forward.

When you launched the reform of the CAP, you organised public debates. Are you planning to organise consultation about the future of organic farming?
The review of organic agriculture policy is one of our future projects, and a consultation process in which Europeans are invited to participate is already underway. The survey will be online until April 10.

Interview by Iulia Badea-Guéritée