The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has said that actions must now follow the words contained in the EU Strategic Dialogue on Future of Agriculture report.
Yesterday (Wednesday, September 4), European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen was presented with the report following several months of negotiations among stakeholders in the EU agriculture sector.
The document considers that food and agricultural production are an essential part of European society and security, and that the diversity of European food and farming is an important asset.
Report
IFA President Francie Gorman said that farmers would be taking “a cautious approach” to the strategic dialogue.
“The motivation for the exercise is sound. There have been too many instances in the recent past where farmers were not listened to when regulations were drawn up.
“The decision to undertake this dialogue is recognition by the Commission that their approach has not been the correct one,” he said.
Gorman said there are aspects of the dialogue that can underpin the discussions around the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after 2027.
The IFA president said that the EU Commission must use “a twin track approach”: one to support food production and another to enhance climate action.
“Ultimately, we need to see actions matching the words here. Farmers must be allowed to farm, reducing the red tape and the growing administrative burden they face year on year
“We look forward to working with the new EU Commission and the European Parliament in the design of a new CAP that returns to its fundamental ideals of supporting farmers in producing high-quality, world-class food for consumers that also delivers a fair and sufficient income.
“If we don’t have a functioning food chain, then farmers will continue to exit,” Gorman said.
Agri-food chain
Meanwhile, the European Federation of Food, Agriculture, and Tourism Trade Unions (EFFAT) has also called on the EU Commission to follow up the “promising words” in the Strategic Dialogue report with “concrete actions”.
EFFAT, which represents millions of workers in the agri-food chain, said it is “encouraged” by the report’s acknowledgment that “socially just working conditions are an indispensable part of production in the agri-food sector”.
The report establishes the a link between fair working conditions and the attractiveness of the agricultural sector calling also on the need to strengthen collective bargaining.
The document also calls for a harmonised EU approach to combating exploitative recruitment and outsourcing practices and emphasises the need to ensure mobile workers have access to rights counselling, including union membership, in their native languages.
EFFAT noted that millions of people in the agri-food chain continue to endure inadequate wages, unhealthy living conditions, and daily labour abuses.
Kristjan Bragason, EFFAT general secretary, said that the report “clearly addresses important labour issues and aligns with EFFAT’s priorities”.
He said this is “promising for the achievement of truly sustainable agriculture and food production”.
“Now, it is crucial that swift and decisive implementation follows these recommendations,” he added.