19
May
2026
Watch
Presentation of the Fertilisers Action Plan (debate)
Madam President, thank you very much. Unfortunately, the EU is extremely dependent on the rest of the world when it comes to artificial fertilisers, because Sweden is 100% dependent on imports. But as we know, there are farmers in Europe who are not hit as hard by these rampant prices of the already expensive fertilizer. It is ecological, circular, circular, i.e. those who simply do not use artificial fertilizers. I understand, and everyone in this room does, that we cannot convert all of Europe's agriculture tomorrow to organic and sustainable farming. But we still need to be able to take proper steps in that direction. This is not just about money and finances. It is about climate change adaptation, soil health, environmental impact from agriculture and so on. And in the long run, this strengthens the situation for European farmers, not least by becoming less vulnerable and dependent on the outside world and fossil fuels. Often, agricultural debates become some kind of crisis debate. This time it's about the manure issue. Next time, if I dare to make a forecast for the summer, it will perhaps be about extreme weather and the consequences of it for food production in Europe.