Fertilisers and the situation on agricultural markets

“The Russian aggression in Ukraine led to decrease of supply in fertilisers causing prices driving up. This affects all European farmers and could possibly jeopardise future harvest, not only in Europe. That´s why we agreed further measures are necessary to ensure that fertilisers as well as final agricultural and food products remain affordable,” said Agriculture Minister Zdeněk Nekula.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has significantly disrupted world agricultural markets. The main areas of concern are still high energy prices and the availability and record prices of fertilizers. Therefore, the European Commission (EC) has promised to present a proposal in early November for a solution specifically for high fertiliser prices. The communication is intended to address reduced dependence on fertiliser imports through other alternatives, fertiliser affordability and state aid.  Suspension of import duties, on ammonia and urea, is also on the table, which would help farmers. In this context, several countries have also submitted a request to the Commission to promote RENURE fertilisers as one of the alternatives to chemical fertilisers. They are produced by extensive manure processing and treatment. Currently, European legislation restricts the use of this alternative. According to Belgium and other submitting countries, the use of RENURE fertilisers meets the conditions for the transition to a circular economy, reduces dependence on third countries and eases pressure on energy consumption.

Fishing rights in the Baltic Sea

Ministers also reached a political agreement today on the total allowable catches in the Baltic Sea for 2023. “I am glad we managed to find a good compromise for fishermen and women. The situation of Baltic Sea fish stocks is not easy, but today’s agreement will help continuation of fishing in the area after 1 January 2023 without any disruption. But more importantly, it will contribute to protection of stocks for the next seasons and hopefully generations,” said Minister Nekula.

Marine fish resources are not unlimited and overfishing negatively affects the reproductive capacity of stocks. That is why there must be controls on who is catching how much fish so that some species are not completely depleted. In the Baltic Sea, the state of fish stocks is already very poor, which is why EU Member States will continue to take strict measures. But at the same time, it is essential to ensure that there are enough fish for the population and that fishermen are economically stable. The approved regulation concerns Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Forest monitoring and strategic plans for forests

Although the area of forests in the EU has increased in recent decades, climate change is still having a negative impact on Europe's forests, particularly through pests and forest fires. This is why the next topic of the Luxembourg Council was the monitoring of EU forests and the strategic plans for forests under the new EU Forest Strategy 2030.  The Commission plans to publish a proposal for a regulation in the first half of 2023. The Czech Presidency organised a seminar on the topic in September this year, attended by 70 experts from 20 countries, the European Commission and major international organisations, which greatly benefited the current debate. Austria and Finland, with the support of 17 other Member States, asked today at the meeting to use data from existing national forest inventories. They also called on the Commission to cooperate more intensively in the preparation of the regulation. The discussion on this topic will continue at the November Council.

Phytosanitary and veterinary programmes

At the Council, most states also drew attention to the substantial reduction in co-financing of member states' phytosanitary and veterinary programmes for the eradication, control and surveillance of animal diseases and plant pests. The reduction was announced by the Commission due to the increasing costs of dealing with successive crises, including the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. States have expressed serious concerns as these reductions may limit the implementation of prevention and control programmes. This may jeopardise the animal and plant health situation in Europe.

Other topics addressed by the ministers were trade-related agricultural issues, carbon farming and the preparation of a mandate for the establishment of the International Commission for the Conservation of Tuna.