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The European Commission has revealed its plans for the future of its biodiversity policy. The new plan also gave the opportunity for different stakeholders to voice their opinions; trying to align as many opinions as possible. The latest initiative was one on evaluating the impacts of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) on habitats, landscape and biodiversity.

What would be the role of Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) in enhancing biodiversity, one might ask? The answer lies in the increased efficiency that CEA offers compared to traditional farming; For years, the EU has tried to enhance biodiversity throughout Europe by trying to make Europe’s farmland more biodiverse. As the largest land-use sector, it would make sense to create biodiversity there. The issue is that biodiversity and agricultural production are resolutely antithetical. With the limited land available in Europe, decreasing yield to increase biodiversity on our lands cannot be the only answer. Another approach possible is the offsetting of biodiversity. In other words: by not making farming more efficient, a part of unused farmland can be fully devoted to environmental protection.

This will not be the full answer to the biodiversity question, but it can be a viable alternative for a part thereof and can relieve some of the pressure put on agricultural land today. FarmTech Society (FTS) did of course add to the evaluation with its response in which it aimed to highlight these priorities. A greater focus on digital tools, innovation, and transparent reporting on biodiversity were all earmarked as policy routes the EY ought to take.

Pushing for a recognition of the environmental benefits of CEA is dearly needed if we want to push the sector to achieve its full potential and to have a seat at the table representing that potential rather than the fringe it is today.

Read FTS’ official feedback here.

Visit the Commission’s Feedback Platform here.