Greenpeace response to EU measures against impact of heatwave on farming

02 August 2018
by greenpeace -- last modified 02 August 2018

The European Commission has announced measures in response to drought conditions in Europe.

Farmers will receive subsidies in advance, and will be exempted from certain requirements to protect the environment, such as crop diversification and leaving part of their land unfarmed to encourage biodiversity.

Greenpeace European agriculture campaigner Christiane Huxdorff said: "The measures adopted by the Commission may give some farmers temporary relief, but they will also reinforce the damaging intensive farming practices that drive climate change in the first place and make droughts like the current one in Europe more likely."

"Water reserves are already under extreme pressure from intensive meat and dairy production, and pesticide-heavy industrial farming that reduces crop diversity. As long as governments and the EU refuse to back sustainable farming methods that don't exacerbate climate change and are more resilient to its effects, this crisis will be the new normal."

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