Over 6,000 farmers have turned out in a mass demonstration outside the meeting of EU farming ministers in Brussels today. The protest, organised by EU farming unions Copa and Cogeca, is aimed at the currently dire state of the fresh produce market.
The situation has mostly been a result of the closure of the enormous Russian market, worth €5.5bn to European exporters, causing prices to plummet below production costs in many countries, and forcing some out of business.
“EU farmers are paying the price for international politics,” said Copa president Albert Jan Maat.
Copa and Cogeca have expressed support for the EU Commission’s actions to alleviate the situation, but have warned that these are not close to compensating producers for their losses.
“We need EU measures to deal with the increasing volatility on agricultural markets as well as medium and longer term measures,” said Maat.
Cogeca president Christian Pees highlighted the need to control the power of the retailers, which he said was “hitting producers hard, squeezing margins further. It is crucial to have EU measures to rebalance the food chain and to fight against unfair commercial practices”.
Among Copa and Cogeca’s demands are a call for a Common Agricultural Policy based on economics and the cutting of red tape; the elimination of unnecessary barriers to trade; EU promotional programmes; fair prices for producers; help with cashflow for farmers; the strengthening of producer organisations; and sufficient funding for research, development and innovation.
Specifically for the fruit and vegetables sector, the unions called for the maximum compensatory amount paid to producers for withdrawing produce from the market to reflect rising production costs; flexibility for countries hit by adverse climatic conditions this year; and a boost in EU school fruit and vegetable schemes to encourage healthy eating habits at a young age.
“With world food demand set to rise by 60 per cent by 2050, we cannot afford to wait for a new crisis to arrive,” warned Pees. “We need an economically viable agriculture sector in all EU regions.”
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