Freshfel shares concern of EU Commissioner on farmer security

Freshfel Europe has backed up the comments made by EU Commissioner Christophe Hansen concerning the difficult conditions facing farmers across the EU, which has endured multiple heatwaves and received scant rainfall this summer.

“I want to pay tribute to the farmers who continue to work under these testing conditions, despite the uncertainty that weighs on their crops and production,” Hansen posted on LinkedIn. “We know that such extreme climatic events will unfortunately become more common. That is why the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) already mobilises funds to help farmers adapt and to mitigate the impacts of climate change, and why the proposals for the next CAP aim to further strengthen the sector’s resilience and its capacity to adapt.”

In response, Philippe Binard, general delegate of Freshfel Europe, stressed that the year’s extreme weather preceded the drought and heat of the summer months, with heavy flooding in southern Europe hitting multiple crops back in March, while late frost affected flowering during the spring across central and eastern Europe. 

“These dramatic events are becoming increasingly frequent and deserve the full attention of policymakers,” he said. “CAP can be a real instrument for mutualisation of risks and to better equip growers with the right tools (protective equipment such as hail nets, irrigation infrastructure, PPP toolbox for emerging pests and diseases).”

Binard said that although the EU’s €500mn compensation fund was a help, it always fell “well short” of the actual income losses faced by growers.

He also identified two areas beyond CAP’s tools that shouldn’t be overlooked: water and insurance.

“Water management, from excess to scarcity, remains critical to minimising damage to production,” he said. “Water helps protect against frost during flowering and is essential during heat or drought for size and quality. EU and national strategies must guarantee the fruit and vegetable sector the priority access to water it needs, bearing in mind our sector’s dual advantage: a very low water footprint compared to any other food; produce that is itself ‘redistributing’ water to consumers, since fruit and vegetables can be up to 90 per cent water content.”

He equally called for proper compensation mechanisms. “Today there are fewer options to insure against climatic risks, leaving growers often unprotected,” Binard warned. “As the EU’s exceptional fund comes under increasing pressure from the proliferation and intensification of extreme events, wider and more accessible insurance schemes are essential to limit the consequences of growing exposure to climatic risk.”

“In these challenging moments, the European Commission stands beside our farmers,” Hansen vowed, ”ready to act while also investing to reinforce the resilience of European agriculture.”