A new U.S. Department of Agriculture study of the impact of the European Union’s green plan for agriculture, called “Farm to Fork,” shows the predictable, devastating harm that will come from implementing the green restrictions on farming, such as cuts in inputs, dictated in the name of saving the planet. The USDA’s Economic Research Service report is titled, “Economic and Food Security Impacts of Agricultural Input Reduction under the European Union Green Deal’s Farm to Fork and Biodiversity Strategies.” (Economic Brief No. 30, November 2020) https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/99741/eb-30.pdf?v=2150.3 .
The ERS ran simulations of the results from implementation of EU-targeted restrictions on “the use of land, fertilizers, antimicrobials, and pesticides.” (They did not include animal welfare nor “organic” regulation factors, due to lack of satisfactory data.) They cranked this through for three scenarios of what will result by 2030: 1) if EU orders are applied in the EU only; 2) if EU green orders are spread elsewhere, by means of trade and related measures; 3) if the orders are spread globally. The ERS focused on what would happen to people in 76 specific nations, for which the ERS has relatively precise information.
ERS researchers recognized that the green advocates say that new, “alternative” technologies can make up for any gaps in production, but the ERS set aside this iffy assertion, as too vacuous.
