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The Izmir region, Turkey. RFI / Igor Gauquelin

Turkey is a major agricultural country and the largest European producer, and is not a member of the EU. It is therefore not a beneficiary of the common agricultural policy, and may never be. This does not prevent, for a long time, to ask as many agri-environmental issues as Europeans. And to advance to try, without really questioning its productivist model. In fact, fears about the deterioration of the environment have no boundaries. Report.

From our special envoy to Turkey,

Vines as far as the eye can see. In the province of Manisa, where figs and apricots are also grown, grapes are king. And more precisely the sultanine variety, easy to store and transport in the dry state. In this respect, as in many other agricultural sectors, Turkey is a world leader. " It makes the whole region live ," says Şemsettin Özgür, Operational Director of Özgür Tarım , a very modern group based in Saruhanlı, which makes only raisins, which it sends to 40 countries around the world. at a rate of 45,000 tons per year. Şemsettin Özgür is a bit of the archetype of a new generation of Turkish agricultural entrepreneurs. Well trained, focused on the international, he seems ready to take over the family. Special feature of the company? It has embarked on Integrated Pest Management ( IPM ), which consists of reducing the use of pesticides while maximizing economic performance.

The quadra evokes the trajectory of his father and his two uncles: " They were in this trade since 1981, but they started their group in 1994. They began to export in 1998 and settled here in 2003. And in the last five years, we have become the largest exporter of dried fruit in Turkey, in quantity and turnover. Why the IPM model? " In my opinion, the problem in this sector of Turkish agriculture, in general, is the size of the plots," emits Şemsettin Özgür. We inherit vineyards that have been fragmented over and over again. The farms are really small, it's just a family business, not professionalized, not mechanized. As a result, tractors, especially pesticides, abound in every conceivable form in the region. A disaster. " Producers are spoiled for choice! Everyone chooses his pesticide dispenser, his own advice ... They each have theirs. "

The Özgur company, which would like to further mutualise the surrounding agricultural lands, has signed a contract with hundreds of producers. Five agronomists supervise. The group buys the grapes from producers, dries them, ships them ... And upstream, it manages the purchase of pesticides from a single supplier. Fewer phytosanitary mixtures, therefore. But if Özgür has launched, it is because the trade group with the EU, which banned more and more products. " We try to follow, to abandon the most problematic pesticides; endocrine disruptors, those that impact groundwater or living organisms. When the EU banned a pesticide, the fresh fruit sector can make changes in two months. But we, our production can be consumed in the year. She is already in stocks, at the customer, the importer, the factories, the chocolate, the cakes, the bread, all over the world ... We must anticipate the risks. "

Şemsettin Özgür, in front of the map of the countries important the grape of the company of his family. RFI / Igor Gauquelin

Turkey did not wait abroad to ask questions

Do not pretend before this militant cross-border in Ankara, but attached to her anonymity, that Turkey has lessons to learn from abroad about agri-environmental awareness, and that she lets herself be preached. It will confirm that this is a movement driven by external demand, in a country that exports many commodities, but will recall that the penultimate world congress of organic farming, organized every three years by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), was held in Istanbul in 2014 . Or that there is a fair in the city of Izmir dedicated to organic farming. Or that regulations have been constantly changing, under the pressure of associations and other chambers of commerce and agriculture, to provide market access to these products compared to the conventional sector.

" For several decades, says our interlocutor, in Turkey as elsewhere, people began to ask questions about the food they consumed. Especially young moms. Local figures emerged. And to mention the association Buğday , active since the 1990s, before stopping at length on the case of a much more virtuous woman in his eyes than the followers of organic monoculture , she denounced as a fake solution. This woman is İpek Hanım Çiftliği. To protect her own daughter from the danger of food, she has been able to revive ancestral practices, give up chemicals, defend local varieties and establish itself as a national example without even developing a website worthy of the name .

Our activist salutes this spearhead of a popularly organic phenomenon, in the best sense of the word: " İpek Hanım Çiftliği is a crazy job, his project is constantly evolving. Bakery, pastry, cheese ... she always has new ideas of opportunities and participates in an incalculable number of events. It produces, transforms and federates rural tourism. It does not require any help - it could - does not boast of its certifications, yet has managed to federate 50,000 customers in the country. Its target market, it is not necessarily sores, we see people from more conservative backgrounds. Every Saturday, they receive a newsletter with a story about the food sector in general or about the three villages that live with its initiatives. She adds the products of the week, there must be at least 580 in all. And over 95% of its workforce is women. "

Agronomist Mehmet Çetin, from Işık Tarim AS, in the Izmir region. A very comprehensive model on the agri-environmental level. RFI / Igor Gauquelin

The problem of environmental conditionality

Turks say it, they are aware of the dangers of the environment. At the Ministry of Agriculture in Ankara, when asked what is the main challenge of the farmers of his country to Mehmet Aydinbelge, coordinator of the IPARD grant system (mainly European pre-accession funds allocated to the modernization of production in milk, meat, peach and fruit and vegetables, with an environmental component), the subject comes back of its own: " My extended family cultivates in central Anatolia, a very arid region where we practice agriculture in difficult conditions. There, farmers are aware of climate change and agri-environmental imperatives. Since there is little water, they use the latest technologies for irrigation, and they save the most resources. But they are not scientists, they do not know what the future holds for us and what the consequences of climate change will be . "

Symbol of this awareness perceptible at all levels: the presence on the ninth floor of the same department, since 2016, of a certain Esther Koopmanschap , a Dutchwoman hitched, at the head of a small technical team, to the task of sweeping the all Turkish legislation with a view to proposing convergence developments to the authorities. Two years ago, Ankara chose the consortium Netherlands-France-Estonia for the latter to propose, in the end, turnkey, a system adapted to its situation, which would make it possible to submit the payment of aid. Turkish national agricultural organizations to comply with environmental and health requirements applied in Europe. A mission that has just ended (see the interview at the bottom of this article). It is no longer the democratic conditionality of one country over another, but the agri - environmental conditionality of the authorities of a country vis-à-vis its producers. However, this is a Community requirement linked to the current Common Agricultural Policy ( CAP ).

In other words, while Turkey's accession to the European Union has never seemed so hypothetical ; while only one in three negotiating chapters on agriculture, fisheries and livestock has been opened to date (Chapter 11, unlike Chapters 10 and 12), Ankara continues to be " very involved " considers Pierre Autissier , adviser for agricultural affairs at the French Embassy in Ankara. " The Turks have made great efforts to modernize, especially with Europe via the IPARD system. But it is the Turkish government's choice to introduce agri-environmental elements. Turkey has not shunned the CAP. Very quickly, she considered it a great tool to modernize her agriculture and enter labeled markets , "he says. It is then up to the legislator to bring about convergence. Also, when we come to the animal welfare part of the pork sector, of which Turkey is a producer, there are inevitably taboos that persist and the ministry does not hurry to send the subject to Parliament. But overall, things have progressed.

Esther Koopmanschap, European consortium for a Turkish system of environmental conditionality of agricultural aid. RFI / Igor Gauquelin

Agriculture, stuck by short-term imperatives

To measure this ancient effervescence around the new production methods in Turkey, direction Izmir region, where the company Işık Tarim AS , launched in 1974, was the first to be certified in the country. An inclusive laboratory where knowledge and ideas are pooled, like a task of oil in a whole valley, then well beyond, among small fruit producers in conversion one after another, of neighbors, around the concept of sustainable development applied in all its components, and therefore also the social component. " Our labels are international, but we have developed our own model with a flagship project, Happy Village . We make 75% organic , 25% conventional. Reasoned, organic, biodynamic ... we offer conversion solutions tailored to each. Anyone can come, there are workshops, the producers exchange, bring their methods, those of their ancestors too ", explains the agronomist Mehmet Çetin, in charge of the presentation.

Yes, but here, beyond the islets, like the others, Turkey is also confronted with the short-term, which blurs the priorities. What groups like Işık Tarim are becoming exemplary, some might consider that they lose it by exporting their products all over the world, and thus by producing carbon. Worse, there are other constraints still, more reckless. " The French and Turkish visions are far from different," explains Pierre Autissier, at the French Embassy. In Turkey, the farmer is the master of his farm, the heritage aspect is central, and the environmental component is taken into account. In many sectors, the country is self-sufficient. In others, it is surplus. A strong point: its plant production. But Turkey faces situations of underproduction. His huge Achilles heel is animal production. Turkish breeding is 95% managed by small animals with only five or six animals. "

On the vegetal side, Ankara would like to develop the Protected Designation of Origin ( PDO ) logic. But for now, the country is home to great champions of counterfeiting. " There is no real association between producers," notes Mr. Autissier. There are embryos in cheese, oranges, but not really legal protection. On the animal side, the problem is even more complex: it's a question of independence. " The Turkish people attach particular importance to the land, we call it our fertile mother, it represents for us life, said President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in front of a floor of farmers and pastoralists on February 20 last. The sector where we have made the most progress is agriculture and livestock (...) But any country that imports food products served daily on the dining table is doomed to give up its independence. "

Frenchman Pierre Autissier (d) and his Turkish Deputy Bozkurt Özserezli (g) in Ankara. RFI / Igor Gauquelin

The meat, the beef, the Turks will have a hard time going without

Across Anatolia, agriculture and livestock employ nearly a quarter of Turkey's labor force. Agri-food industries account for almost 20% of GDP. In terms of production, Turkey is the world leader in cherries, hazelnuts (giant Ferrero knows it well), figs and apricots. It places a total of 55 products in the top 10 worldwide. Except that the domestic consumer wants to eat red meat, the least environmentally friendly food. " It's the population growth, including the arrival of millions of Syrians , but also the rise in the standard of living that wants that, says the deputy of Pierre Autissier at the embassy, ​​Bozkurt Özserezli. The demand for protein goes too fast, it creates a considerable imbalance. While yield has not changed much, the level of dependence increases relative to inputs. Especially since there is not necessarily any grass here either. Self-sufficiency was much higher ten years ago. "

As a result, in order to cope with this structural problem, to run after a constantly increasing demand, Turkey is satisfied with the emergence of real "meat factories" which, if they are distinguished by a rather irreproachable hygiene, import live animals. from outside and reach dimensions to thrill an ecologist. Yılmaz Arpaç is the son of a breeder and a breeder's brother. He is the boss of one of them. We find him in his office, a few dozen kilometers from the capital, in an area without grazing. In a shed, just a few steps away, 7,000 cattle are waiting for their turn for the slaughterhouse. On the other side of the street, at his brother's house, ditto: 7,000 animals. And if there had not been this quarrel with France, that presidents Macron and Erdogan believe they have deflated recently but that had led to an embargo of live French cattle in Turkey for several years, their joint flock would reach today 20,000 heads, just that!

" With my brother, we are among the five biggest in Turkey, confirms Yılmaz Arpaç. We do not receive any subsidies. The state is in a medium and long-term strategy, it supports small family farms for grazing, equipment, there are also advantageous bank loan rates, research. Farms up to 250 head of cattle are subsidized. We are far beyond. But thanks to the legislation adopted in Turkey in recent years, or requested by the EU, concerning the breeding, the respect of the animal right, the environment, the water, we became more conscious, more vigilant. We already had this human eye before on our job, but even more today. Here, cattle do not know the stress of noise, our mechanization is at the forefront, for example. And to ensure that workers are better off at home than in France. But all the same: there are only 15, while the cows, they, pile up in a silent space, certainly, but confined. 14,000 cattle heads.

Yılmaz Arpaç, one of the biggest cattle breeders in Turkey, insists that he enjoys working with the French. But because of the embargo, he has to compensate by bringing in more live animals from Australia, Uruguay and Brazil. RFI / Igor Gauquelin

How to reconcile the food imperative with respect for the environment?

While it is already being felt in Africa for a long time , in Europe, research is now observing the limits of a productivist logic developed in the second half of the twentieth century to ensure the continent's food independence. In addition, in a world of globalized exchanges . And efforts to reorient our models sometimes seem ineffective or too slow. Recent publications by the National Museum of Natural History ( MNHN ) and the National Center for Scientific Research ( CNRS ) have concluded that the bird populations of the fields " have reduced by one third in fifteen years " in the countryside because of the intensification of agricultural practices mainly. And the trend will accelerate over the last few years. The situation of bees is just as worrying if not more so.

But to the global problem of biodiversity are added of course that of the impoverishment of the soil, that of water pollution or that of global warming. There are also fears related to agricultural practices, to the pressure on the environment, to which agri-environmental measures - such as alternative modes of trade - attempt to provide answers, for example through conditionality. If France has recently announced that part of the CAP funds allocated to support its production (1st pillar) would finally be transferred to the "2nd pillar" (" targeted support mechanisms such as rural development aid, farmers in difficult areas, organic farming in particular ), the Turkish example confirms that time is running out, that the deterioration of the environment has no borders, and that good ideas are no longer needed.

  • 55 Turkish commodities are in the top 10 worldwide in production. In terms of hazelnuts, cherries, figs and apricots, Turkey is number one. In red on the cards, the strongholds of the sheep sector. In green, the cattle. In blue, the goat.
    RFI / Igor Gauquelin

  • Turkish Ministry of Agriculture, Ankara. The place where IPARD applications, among others, are processed. But also where we think about the application of a model of environmental conditionality to the European.
    RFI / Igor Gauquelin

  • The premises of the Netherlands-France-Estonia Consortium, working on the principle of environmental conditionality applied to Turkey within the Ministry.
    RFI / Igor Gauquelin

  • Turkey is a country where agriculture occupies a central place in the collective imagination. This is particularly the case with grapes on the island of Bozcaada, in the Aegean (2012), even if the wine is no longer in the odor of sanctity in the country.
    RFI / Igor Gauquelin

  • Even today, the share of agriculture and livestock in the Turkish gross domestic product is far higher than it is in a country like France.
    RFI / Igor Gauquelin

  • The workers of the cattle farm Arpaç Dış Ticaret A.Ş, in the region of Ankara. About 25% of the Turkish labor force works in agriculture from near and far.
    RFI / Igor Gauquelin +

  • In the Izmir region, Işık Tarım has set up a system focused on sustainable development in all its components, including its social dimension, particularly through its Happy Village project.
    RFI / Igor Gauquelin

  • One of the main challenges of Turkish agriculture in the eyes of the authorities: coping with the growing demand for meat in the country. "When prosperity increases, people want more red meat," says farmer Yılmaz Arpaç.
    RFI / Igor Gauquelin

  • At present, Turkey is forced to import live animals to offset the growing demand for meat in the country. A situation that makes Ankara vulnerable to the outside world in the eyes of the authorities.
    RFI / Igor Gauquelin

■ Esther Koopmanschap: " I firmly believe in the ethos of the cross compliance mechanism "

The Dutch Esther Koopmanschap led the European technical team charged two years ago to propose to the Turkish authorities a system of environmental conditionality for the payment of its agricultural aid. Ankara chose the consortium Netherlands-France-Estonia to develop a model adapted to its situation, based on what it does in Europe.

RFI : How does environmental conditionality work in the European Union?

Esther Koopmanschap : In the EU, farmers can apply for direct income support and other forms of support. In return, they must respect certain basic rules, which help to protect biodiversity and water quality, or require special treatment for soils before and after harvest.

For farmers producing milk, meat or eggs, there may be requirements for the storage conditions of the eggs as to the temperature at which the milk is to be stored after milking. It is also a question of avoiding the use of hormones in meat production and of guaranteeing good living conditions for farm animals. There are also requirements for the protection of historical elements in the landscape, such as stone walls.

Most of these requirements are already legal obligations for all EU farmers, not just those who benefit from aid. But there are additional standards that apply to those who ask for help. In case of non-compliance, if during a check, a violation is found, then the aids can be reduced, to a degree that depends on the seriousness of the non-compliance. In rare cases, the farmer may even lose his full payment.

Is this system efficient enough ?

Conditionality has been applied in the EU since 2005. NGOs may argue that it is too light to really benefit the environment and support the fight against climate change, but the fact is that cross-compliance has green since the last CAP reform in 2013.

The Commission clearly believes in this system, as the next reform will probably include new requirements and standards after 2020. The European Court of Auditors also publishes interesting reports on how the CAP objectives are met or not.

Personally, I strongly believe in the ethos of cross-compliance and the promotion of a more sustainable and prosperous agricultural sector.

In recent months, you have swept away existing legislation in Turkey in terms of farming practices, environmental protection, and so on. The aim was to evaluate what has been done in the past and what remains to be done so that Ankara can eventually experiment with an environmental conditionality system on its own agricultural aid, is that correct ?

The project has provided, one might say, a solid basis for setting up a conditionality system in this country. From the legislation currently in force in the Republic of Turkey, we have suggested which eco-conditionality rules could already be implemented.

So the most important initial step was to check what legislation was already in place and what needed to be created or updated. Turkey, as a candidate country to the EU, is already seeking to harmonize its legislation with that of the EU. However, given all the harmonizations achieved, more than 60% of our cross-compliance rules could be implemented there right away.

With this "demand-control-payment" mechanism, Turkey must now decide first and foremost whether it really wants to condition its aid to farmers, and if so, which ones. Note that Turkey already does this for some aid. So we can say that our project brings some of the basic ingredients: proposed rules, but also suggestions on how to assess non-compliance, a field inspection guide, a draft guide for farmers.

A functional conditionality system involves a legal framework, procedures for assessing violations, a system of sanctions, a model for the control system. In addition, software is required to enable data analysis and evaluation, and considerable training effort is required. Turkey would not start from scratch, but considerable work remains to be done to ensure that conditionality is applied.

What is the next step now ? Does Turkey really want to go further ?

After the Second World War, the first goal of European construction was to secure peace, secure economic growth and bring food security.

The CAP was one of the first common policies. Its main mission was to increase production and bring food security to member states. When it became clear that we had managed to increase agricultural production at the cost of environmental degradation and food security, it became clear that the common agricultural policy needed to change.

Food security: "yes"; fair income for farmers: "yes"; but only if we also ensure that society can count on a policy that also takes into account human, animal and plant health, the improvement of animal welfare and the development of a "greener" approach to our environment.

Clearly, Turkey is pursuing these same goals, but increasing agricultural production is just as high on the agenda of its priorities, if not the number one priority. Combining all these goals is just not easy, Turkey knows it. But it is not impossible. Conditionality can at least serve as a tool to increase agricultural production in a safe and sustainable way.

Our team from the EU has tried, at least, to share at best what could be the basis of what is being done and what could be avoided, based on the mistakes that we, the Member States of the We have done and what has worked well for us.