ClientEarth’s response to the Roadmap for a Farm to Fork Strategy

ClientEarth argues that the European Commission must conduct a public consultation before adopting the Farm to Fork Strategy to comply with the Aarhus Convention and EU Treaties. The organization identifies several critical gaps in the current Roadmap, including the need to align the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) with European Green Deal objectives through SMART targets and to address agricultural air pollution, specifically ammonia and methane. ClientEarth also calls for an end to overfishing, the promotion of only sustainable aquaculture, and the implementation of a zero-pollution action plan for air, water, and soil. Additionally, it advocates for new legislation on Food Contact Materials to eliminate harmful chemical residues and a reduction of pesticide use by 80% by 2030.

• The European Commission must conduct a public consultation before the adoption of the Farm to Fork Strategy to comply with Article 7 of the Aarhus Convention and EU Treaties, as consultations occurring after publication are insufficient.
• The current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plans Regulation is deemed inadequate for addressing climate and biodiversity crises because it lacks EU-level SMART targets for greenhouse gas emissions, inputs management, and farmland biodiversity.
• The Farm to Fork Strategy should include specific targets to end overfishing, shift from destructive methods like bottom trawling to low-impact fishing, and avoid promoting fish consumption as a low-carbon meat alternative without considering environmental impacts.
• There is a significant gap in the Roadmap regarding agricultural air pollution; specifically, it fails to address ammonia and methane emissions, the latter of which has a global warming potential 28 times higher than CO2.
• ClientEarth calls for new EU legislation on Food Contact Materials (FCM) to address harmful chemicals and endocrine disruptors, and proposes a target to reduce pesticide use by 80% by 2030.
• The strategy must be aligned with the Circular Economy Action Plan to reduce the use of single-use plastics in agriculture, such as crop mulches, which threaten soil health and food security.

APA

ClientEarth (2020). ClientEarth’s response to the Roadmap for a Farm to Fork Strategy. https://www.clientearth.org/media/1aujpjae/2020-03-16-clientearth-response-to-the-roadmap-for-a-farm-to-fork-strategy-ce-en.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. ClientEarth’s response to the Roadmap for a Farm to Fork Strategy. 2020. https://www.clientearth.org/media/1aujpjae/2020-03-16-clientearth-response-to-the-roadmap-for-a-farm-to-fork-strategy-ce-en.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=ClientEarth |title=ClientEarth’s response to the Roadmap for a Farm to Fork Strategy |date=16 March 2020 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/1aujpjae/2020-03-16-clientearth-response-to-the-roadmap-for-a-farm-to-fork-strategy-ce-en.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{clientearth2020clientearths, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{ClientEarth’s response to the Roadmap for a Farm to Fork Strategy}}, publisher = {ClientEarth}, year = {2020}, month = mar, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/1aujpjae/2020-03-16-clientearth-response-to-the-roadmap-for-a-farm-to-fork-strategy-ce-en.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }