Copa Cogeca, the umbrella group of EU farming organisations, has told the president of the European Commission that an “agri-protection act” is needed to secure the future of the EU farming community.
Representatives from Copa met with commission President Ursula von der Leyen yesterday (Thursday, February 1), amid a demonstration by farmers in the Belgian capital Brussels.
The Copa delegation also met with the prime ministers of Belgium and the Netherlands.
Speaking after these meetings, Belgian farmer representative Lode Ceyssens said he called on President von der Leyen to take action to protect the livelihoods of EU farmers.
“We heard the commission president telling us that she is going to go with a very fast agenda for less red tape, and that she wants to start the strategic dialogue,” Ceyssens said.
The farmer representative – who is the president of the main farming association in the Dutch-speaking Flanders region of Belgium – added: “In that strategic dialogue, we need to make some rebalance to the Green Deal. I asked her to have an agri-protection act, and if we don’t do it, in the future we will need an agri-restoration act, and then at that moment it will be already to late.”
Ceyssens said that the protesting farmers “did not start worrying a few days ago”.
“What our farmers need is trust from Europe, not over-regulation. What we need is fair prices for the products they have, products that are much more sustainable than elsewhere in the world.
“In the end, farmers need to be certain about the future. When you start farming, it’s not a job for a few years. Farming is something you do for your whole life and you need certainty that you can go on. This is a very important message that we brought,” Ceyssens added.
The farmer protests that have hit several EU countries in recent weeks seem to be having an effect, with President von der Leyen saying yesterday that a proposal will be developed to reduce the administrative burden on farmers.
She said she acknowledges the concerns from farmers on regulatory requirements that they deal with, and that it was something she wanted to address.
The commission president said she would work with the current presidency of the Council of the EU (which is held by Belgium, under the rotating six-month presidency system) to develop a plan to reduce paperwork for farmers.
President von der Leyen said that this proposal will be developed in time for the next meeting of the agriculture ministers component of the council, which is slated for February 26, meaning this proposal would be expected this month.