Brussels, 25/02/2011 (Agence Europe) - The European Coordination Via Campesina, which held its Annual General Meeting from 15 to 17 February in Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium), has repeated its calls for a new common agricultural policy (CAP) defined around the core concept of food sovereignty, as opposed to the current CAP that is “exclusively tailored to achieve competitiveness in the international market”, according to a press release by the association. The Coordination argues that the value of agricultural labour “continues to be monopolised by the food industry and supermarkets, against the interests of producers and consumers”. The fact that priority is given to the export markets is mainly of benefit to transnational agribusiness companies, and prevents farmers in the South from selling their produce on their own markets.
The AGM of the European Coordination Via Campesina stressed its commitment to promoting a CAP post-2013 designed in favour of employment, diversified food production, quality food and produce as well as a model of agricultural production based on agro-ecology and the relocation of food production. It also emphasised the following points: - measures must be set in place to support young people wanting to start farming; - the CAP should support equal treatment for farmers and agricultural workers; - the status and protection of agricultural workers, migrant or not, must be improved and implemented; - the patenting of life must be rejected and farmers' rights to reproduce and exchange seeds protected; - transparency in the food chain is essential and abusive business practices must be denounced; - the international bodies of the UN are the only legitimate space to develop world agricultural and food policies; - free-trade agreements implemented by the EU with third countries “have a negative impact on farmers' agriculture in both North and South and must be stopped”. (L.C./transl.fl)