Unlike air and water, soil is unprotected in the EU. Campaigners want to change this by using citizens' rights to trigger legislation
Soil is a vital, limited, non-renewable and irreplaceable resource. Surprisingly, though, it is not currently subject to a coherent set of rules in the EU. The proposal for a Soil Framework Directive was withdrawn in May 2014 after it ran into a blocking minority for eight years. According to the new campaign network People 4 Soil, existing EU policies in other areas are not sufficient to ensure an adequate level of protection for all soils in Europe. People 4 Soil wants to rectify this situation.
European citizens have the right to recommend EU legislation via the European Citizens' Initiative (ECI). People 4 Soil, which is an open network of European organisations, wants to recruit enough supporters and signatories to trigger this process.
It has a year to collect 1 million signatures, which must come from at least seven member states. Britons can sign up while the UK is still part of the EU. And given that even after Brexit, Britain is likely to continue to import substantial quantities of food from the EU, the state of its soils will continue to be relevant.
Find out more here.
Read about Sustain's campaign work to protect sustainable food and farming in the UK here.
Published Friday 16 September 2016
Sustain: Sustain The alliance for better food and farming advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, enrich society and culture and promote equity.
