From FADN to FSDN – Framing how data is collected is important but regulating how data is used is paramount!

Today the Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Parliament voted on the report regarding the proposal for converting the Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN) into the Farm Sustainability Data Network (FSDN). Copa and Cogeca praise the work conducted by the rapporteur MEP Jérémy Decerle (Renew, FR) which responds to many of the uncertainties expressed by the farming community.

Given the continuous changes in the European Union legislative framework, farmers need solid assessments of the impact EU policies will have on their activity and on their sustainability. Copa and Cogeca are glad to see that the report focuses on evidence-based policies and lists the evaluation of the impact of future policies on the agricultural sector as one of the objectives of this data network.

Framing how data is collected is important but regulating how data is used is paramount! It is highly important that when collecting data with the help of the farmers, data is used for the benefit of farmers and not against them. In this respect, the report voted today brings additional guarantees for data protection which Copa and Cogeca have also been calling for. 

To safeguard data collection and ensure the success of the future FSDN in an increased data collection context, we are pleased to see that a voluntary approach to data collection has been taken. Member States should focus more on methods and incentives, including financial ones, to encourage farmers to take part in FSDN. Copa and Cogeca would thus oppose a mandatory approach which could even lead to penalties. 

There is a need to provide clarity on what data is necessary to be collected, avoid duplications with other data collection exercises and reduce the administrative burden on farmers. Finally, to make an impact, comparable, timely and reliable data is key. 

As data users, farmers can benefit from the support of advisory services, including from their agricultural cooperatives to get the best value-added from available data. Thus, Copa and Cogeca welcome that the report follows the principle “collect once, use multiple times” whilst making sure that data protection is safeguarded.

Artigo publicado originalmente em Copa Cogeca.