Let's recognize paludiculture as an eligible practice in the EU's Common Agricultural Policy
The document advocates for recognizing paludiculture as an eligible practice within the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). It underscores the importance of protecting peatlands, which are vital for carbon storage, biodiversity, water quality, and ecosystem services. Draining peatlands releases significant amounts of CO2, contributing to EU greenhouse gas emissions, and causes land subsidence, increased flooding risk, and loss of biodiversity. Currently, the CAP supports drainage-based agriculture on peatlands, which has negative environmental impacts, while crops suited for wet or rewetted peatlands, such as reeds and sedges (paludiculture), are not eligible for direct payments.
The key recommendations are to amend the CAP to include guaranteed support for farmed wet peatlands, phase out payments for drained peatlands, and develop results-based schemes that reward ecosystem services like low greenhouse gas emissions. Recognizing paludiculture as an eligible land use would enable farmers to shift towards climate-friendly, wet farming practices, restoring natural water levels and ecosystem health. The policy brief aims to inform EU decision-makers, farmers, and member states about the benefits of including paludiculture in the CAP, fostering sustainable land use that benefits both people and nature.
Let's recognize paludiculture as an eligible practice in the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (en)
Target countries: European Union, Germany, Finland, United Kingdom, Poland, Ireland, Romania, Sweden, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands
Key takeaways
- Recognition of paludiculture as an eligible practice in the EU's CAP could support climate and environmental goals
- Including paludiculture—a wet farming technique on organic peat soils—in CAP payments would facilitate farmers' shift away from drainage-based activities that cause CO2 emissions and ecosystem degradation.
- Current CAP subsidies favor drainage-based agriculture, prioritizing crops unsuitable for wet peatlands
- Most Member States support drainage activities that lead to CO2 emissions, whereas crops suitable for wet peatlands, such as reed and sedges, are not eligible for direct payments, discouraging climate-friendly land use change.
- Phase-out of CAP payments for drained peatlands and establishment of results-based payments could incentivize ecosystem service provision
- Proposed reforms include removing subsidies for drained peatlands and rewarding farmers who maintain low greenhouse gas emissions and restore natural peatland functions through results-based schemes.
- Amending the CAP to include wet peatland eligibility and phasing out support for drained peatlands aligns policy with EU climate obligations
- Legislative proposals aim to create a more coherent policy framework that promotes climate mitigation, biodiversity, and sustainable resource management by recognizing paludiculture as a viable option.
- Strategic plans under the EU's CAP are pivotal to integrating peatland preservation and paludiculture
- Member States are encouraged to incorporate peatland protection strategies and support wet farming techniques but currently lack specific policies to do so within the existing CAP structures.
Sources
- Let's recognize paludiculture as an eligible practice in the EU's Common Agricultural Policy - 2020-03-24 - https://europe.wetlands.org/lets-recognize-paludiculture-as-an-eligible-practice-in-the-eus-common-agricultural-policy/
