Debate contributions by Anja HAZEKAMP

Mr President, the disastrous effects of climate change are becoming increasingly visible and are also costing more and more lives. Animal and plant species are dying out at an unprecedented rate. Pollution of soil, water and air threatens the basis of our existence. But while we only have one generation left to keep our planet liveable, the European Commission is putting forward an agenda of greenwashing and clean washing. Beautiful words do not solve the climate problem. A blank cheque to polluting industry does not stop biodiversity loss and delay and relaxation of environmental rules are not a response to the ongoing pollution of our planet. Under the motto of simplification, our future is sacrificed for the blind pursuit of profit by business. How short-sighted can you be, Commissioner? Even if you think money is the highest good, how are you going to earn it on a deserted planet?

I share your concerns. The Farm to Fork Strategy was very clear: more organic farming, less use of agricultural poisons, more animal welfare, and more consumption of fruit and vegetables instead of meat and dairy. However, we see that the agreement between the EU and Mercosur does exactly the opposite. This will allow us to re-export dangerous agricultural poisons and lower the standards for agricultural poisons that are banned here. We can already see that happening. There will be more meat and dairy coming this way, there will be more deforestation, there will be more imports of animal feed, etc. In short, our farmers and our environment are not served by the agreement with Mercosur.

Mr President, Commissioner, every year, Europe imports millions of kilos of wrong horsemeat from Argentina and Uruguay. Meat from severely abused horses that are also treated with hormones and medicines. That is processed here in bitterballen and other snacks. But instead of stopping these imports, Europe is only making the trade in faulty horsemeat easier with the agreement with Mercosur. That is just one of the many disastrous consequences of this trade agreement. Further deforestation will be carried out for the production of animal feed and biofuels. How can we meet the climate and biodiversity targets? South American farmers use pesticides that are banned here in Europe. With Mercosur, it is no longer possible to prevent this agricultural poison from ending up on our plate. Finally, I would like a commitment from the Commissioner that live animals will no longer be transported from Mercosur countries and will be brought here on giant ships.

Mr President, the hunt for whales is horrific. Whales are slaughtered with harpoons containing explosives. On average, it takes two hours and several harpoons to kill a whale. This is terrible. Fortunately, there has been a worldwide ban on whaling for almost forty years. However, some countries, including Iceland, do not comply with this ban. After killing 1,500 whales in recent decades, Iceland finally decided to stop whaling two years ago, thanks in part to calls from the European Parliament. The country has recently granted a permit to slaughter hundreds of whales. At the same time, Iceland is asking us for more favourable trade rates for its fishery products. This cannot be the case until the horrific Icelandic whaling has definitively ceased. We need to say "no" to the trade with whalers and stop whaling.

Mr President, gosh, the self-proclaimed interests of the farmers are busy again. Above all, I hear that we need to listen more to farmers and, above all, that we need to support them more financially. Meanwhile, the agricultural lobby is shutting down the Commission and Parliament to raise even more money for the biggest companies. And to top it all off, these outspoken MEPs, and even the European Commissioner, backed the disastrous Mercosur trade agreement. With this, they put a dagger in the back of European farmers. The only ones spinning yarn at Mercosur are the industrial farmers, animal feed producers and poison manufacturers. More animals will be towed, more forests will be cut down to produce feed and biofuels, and more agricultural poison will be used. The losers, those are the small and sustainable farmers, those are the inhabitants of the Amazon and those are the animals that are literally milked out. There is only one answer if you want to help the farmers: Say no to Mercosur.

Mr President, the disastrous effects of climate change are becoming increasingly visible and costing more and more lives. Animal and plant species are dying out at an unprecedented rate, and pollution of soil, air and water is affecting the basis of our existence. Every day of procrastination brings us closer to irreversible destruction of our planet. Doing nothing is associated with sky-high costs. And what does the Commission do? And a large part of this Parliament? They prefer to listen to the industry. Big Agro and to populists who willfully deny these truths, who all want to sacrifice our future for short-term economic gain. Commissioner Ribera, you are in charge now. But what are you going to do? How do you fight fake news from the far right? Here in this House too? And you say that your ambitions for the Green Deal have not changed. But what is the timeline? When will you present the missing proposals of the Green Deal?

Mr President, last week a football match was used as an opportunity to import the horrific violence in Gaza to Amsterdam. We should never tolerate that. We cannot accept that different groups are set up against each other by rioters. Or even by politicians who want to profit politically from the suffering of the victims. That's what's gonna hurt everybody. The Party for the Animals is deeply concerned about the hundreds of thousands of civilians who are victims of the unimaginable escalation of violence in Palestine and Israel. We are also deeply concerned about rising anti-Semitism and violence against Jews. And we worry about the increasing hatred and what that does to all of us. There is no justification for violence, hatred and intimidation. The genocide in Gaza is no justification for anti-Semitic violence in Amsterdam. The riots in Amsterdam are no justification for Muslim hatred, not even in the European Parliament. Let's all keep our heads clear and our hearts soft.

Mr President, South America is on fire, with record fires raging even in humid ecosystems such as the Amazon rainforest: Worst in 20 years. The savannahs of the Cerrado have also been severely affected, as has the Pantanal, one of the largest tropical swamps in the world. With the burning of these unique and carbon-rich ecosystems, not only plants, animals and people are under pressure. Huge amounts of greenhouse gases are also released, accelerating climate change even further. A coalition of 15 000 scientists warns of an irreversible climate disaster this week. The world is facing a critical and unpredictable new phase in the climate crisis. We, here in Europe, are complicit in this enormous destruction of the fragile and essential forests, savannahs and marshes. The main cause of these fires is continuous deforestation. Forests that are being destroyed to make way for even more livestock and for even more animal feed. For meat that ends up here on our plate. And what is the Commission doing about it? It makes matters worse by postponing the deforestation regulation. As a result, we will continue to import products for which forests have been destroyed for another year. That is unacceptable! I call on the Commission to: “Now stop importing products that contribute to deforestation and forest fires. The postponement of the deforestation regulation is clearly also intended to end the disputed trade agreement with the Mercosur countries. A trade agreement that will ensure even more imports of beef and cattle feed. A trade agreement that increases deforestation even further. This ash comes from the Pantanal, where 70% of the indigenous population's area burned down this year alone. Europe has that on its conscience. What will the Commission do to protect not only the Amazon, but also the Pantanal and Cerrado? I have three solutions for the Commission: put an immediate end to the import of deforestation-related products, put an end to the negotiations on Mercosur and put an end to the livestock industry.

Mr President, if we want to remain within the limits of the planet, urgent action must be taken in the agricultural sector. This is also stated in the opinion. A drastic reduction in the number of animals in livestock farming and a switch to a plant-based future are inevitable. It is outrageous that Mrs von der Leyen has postponed, watered down or wiped out much-needed laws, such as the animal welfare legislation announced in 2020. Billions of animals suffer as a result of outdated legislation, which, moreover, is not enforced. In addition, more than 300 million animals are still kept in cages. The opinion also states that new animal legislation is needed, including a ban on cages. Any further delay will not be tolerated. The missing proposals should not be presented in 2026, but before the end of this year. The animals have waited long enough. It's time for a change.