The legislation on the combat in opposition to waste1 supplies for the entry into drive on the finish of 2021 of an environmental label – the longer term “Ecoscore” – for agricultural and meals merchandise. Better informing shoppers concerning the environmental affect of merchandise is a superb initiative. It can be needed that the tactic used integrates all of the sustainability standards!
However, for the second, the tactic envisaged2 to function a foundation for this Ecoscore doesn’t appropriately have in mind injury to biodiversity and the affect of pesticides. Indeed, the environmental impacts calculated from the Agribalyse agricultural database, which is able to play a central function within the Ecoscore, are faulty as a result of they’re incomplete. They aberrantly favor intensive agriculture.
What is extra, this database was made public prematurely, regardless of the criticisms raised by many associations and professionals.
We subsequently ask Barbara Pompili and Julien Denormandie to take away the incorrect sustainability knowledge from Agribalyse and postpone the environmental label schedule in order that the tactic may be accomplished and if needed redesigned. This is pressing if we wish to forestall sure gamers within the meals business from utilizing this biased knowledge for greenwashing functions!
The caged hen egg, voted product of the 12 months for the setting?
The legislation supplies that the longer term label is “mainly” based mostly on LCA (Life Cycle Analysis), a software designed to charge industrial merchandise. However, this software calculates the environmental impacts as a operate of yields, particularly per kg or per liter of completed product. LCA provides a major benefit to probably the most intensive modes of manufacturing. It doesn’t have in mind the usage of pesticides or antibiotics or their affect on well being, soil, air or water high quality. Conversely, the advantages of natural farming or out of doors breeding on biodiversity and animal welfare should not included within the indicators.3.
Applied to agriculture, which means whoever produces probably the most within the smallest space has the perfect grade, no matter the way you produce. “We will lead shoppers to consider that the farm of 1000 cows or the breeding of caged hens is the perfect for the setting! “ explains Agathe Gignoux of CIWF.
“As it stands, this technique highlights agricultural methods that are the alternative of these that are actually favorable to the setting and which we want to promote! We are able to cross on our proposals to remodel Agribalyse into an actual software for progress for the setting, shopper well being and the agricultural world. We hope to have the ability to work with the promoters of the venture to maneuver ahead. “ declares Cécile Claveirole, National Secretary of France Nature Environnement.
To appropriate the biases of LCA, the longer term Ecoscore will subsequently need to combine in the suitable proportions further indicators making it doable to actually account for the sustainability of agricultural practices. We shall be very vigilant concerning the definition of those indicators and would love civil society to be way more carefully related to this work led by ADEME.
Misleading communication for shoppers
There is an pressing must act as a result of, with out worrying about these biases, actors within the agri-food business have already taken benefit of Agribalyse knowledge to speak on a so-called environmental excellence.4. Worse nonetheless, public procurement has already taken maintain of the software!
“All this is very prejudicial to the information of consumers” says Alain Bazot, President of UFC-Que Choisir.
“Over time, natural farming professionals have constructed a relationship of belief with shoppers on the idea of a excessive degree of environmental requirements. The Ecoscore venture should not create confusion and weaken this achievement. We want extra consistency in public insurance policies on the content material and which means that we wish to give to the agricultural and meals transition. As it stands, the Ecoscore venture scrambles the messages in a really worrying means. “ explains Didier Perréol, President of Synabio.
Notes
(1) Article 15 LAW n ° 2020-105 of February 10, 2020.
(2) In software of the round financial system legislation of February 2020, an experiment was launched to foreshadow the Ecoscore. Led by Ademe and Inrae, it ought to particularly make it doable to outline the symptoms for use and the labeling codecs.
