European Parliament adopted its position to ensure healthier soils and safer food

11 April 2024

On 10th April 2024, the European Parliament adopted its position on the Soil Monitoring and Resilience Directive, with the aim of having all EU soils healthy by 2050.

Currently, around 60-70% of European soils are currently estimated as unhealthy due to urban expansion, low land recycling rates, agricultural intensification, and climate change effects. European soils host over 25% of global biodiversity and act as a significant carbon reservoir. Assuring healthy soils is vital for biodiversity, land resilience against extreme weather, and sustainable food production.

This new law on soil quality introduces a comprehensive monitoring system to evaluate soil health, aiming for improvement by the mid-21st century.

Beatrice Covassi, S&D negotiator on the file, said: “Without good soil, we have no future and farmers have no living. Despite some setbacks during today’s vote, the law will still include an objective to have all soils in a healthy condition by 2050.”

In fact, due to opposition, the law lacks a mandatory timeline for member states to enhance soil ecological status, a provision initially approved by the European Parliament’s environment committee.

For more information, see the press release from the Parliament: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20240408IPR20304/soil-health-parliament-sets-out-measures-to-achieve-healthy-soils-by-2050