ePURE press release on idle agricultural land

ePURE, the voice of the European renewable ethanol industry, fears that today’s proposed reform of the Common Agricultural Policy will result in inconsistent policy.

ePURE is deeply concerned about the European Commission’s plans to set-aside 7 % of EU agricultural land as “ecological focus areas,” in effect making the reintroduction of the EU’s set-aside policy. Initially intended to curb agricultural surpluses, mandatory set-aside was abolished in 2009 against the backdrop of soaring soft commodity prices. In the light of the global food crisis in 2008, the EU could no longer afford to keep arable land out of production. Given the continuously growing world population, concerns about food security in the world are now back on the political agenda.