The brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine, and especially the blockade of the port cities of Odessa and Mariupol, mainstays of the supply of the abundant wheat that this country produces, threatens to push much of the world towards the biggest food crisis in many decades. This situation, if prolonged over time, will disrupt the supply chain, especially in North Africa, which will produce a food, social and political catastrophe, not only due to scarcity but also due to rising prices throughout the planet.
Russia’s war in Ukraine will inevitably hit the European Union’s environmental policy. Therefore, calls to ignore the European Green Deal and its variant for agriculture, the “Farm to fork” strategy, are multiplying, because they believe that it results in a decrease in agricultural production, at least in the old continent.
The National Federation of Farmers’ Unions (FNSEA) has already called to “restore food sovereignty as an absolute priority.” Like her, the agri-food unions (Ania and Cooperativa Agrícola) want to “put into production all the agricultural land available in France and in Europe”. Pierre Pagès , vice president of SEMAE (the seed interprofessional) sees the need to “produce more, but better” thanks to genetic engineering. Putting GMOs genetically modified organisms (GMOs) back into the debate, for many sectors, the EU must prepare to thoroughly review the regulations on the subject.
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[Editor’s note: This article was originally published in Spanish and has been translated and edited for clarity.]
