Eco‐Schemes and Private Sustainability Initiatives: Creating Synergies

Abstract

SummaryThe eco‐schemes proposed by the European Commission for the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) have the potential to make agriculture more sustainable and climate smart. Based on Dutch policy advice we suggest basing the implementation on food systems thinking and to align public eco‐schemes with private initiatives. Dutch policy seeks to create a circular agricultural system by 2030. As such, policy measures must contribute towards ‘closing leakages in material flows, cutting emissions and reducing wastage of biomass throughout the whole food system’. This corresponds with the objectives of the new CAP. Member States can transfer budget from the basic income support to the eco‐schemes relatively easily, but the one year contracts proposed by the Commission would not ensure continuity for farmers. Farmers are incentivised first and foremost by markets and other food chain actors and it would therefore be more attractive to couple eco‐schemes with private labelling systems, via a common integrated points system with performance indicators. Providers of sustainability schemes could apply for equivalence with eco‐schemes. Farmers participating in an approved sustainability scheme would then, under the principle of compliance by default, automatically be given the possibility to take part in the equivalent eco‐scheme. Management and oversight of compliance would be the responsibility of the organisation offering the sustainability scheme. This would have the benefit of reducing administrative costs.