The European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA) called, on Thursday 15 April, for decision-makers to unlock “adequate support” for farmers whose products are impacted by the winter surge.
In the context of the negotiations on the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the CEJA wants the co-legislators to provide solid risk and crisis management instruments in the agricultural sector.
Several regions in Europe experienced an exceptionally severe winter surge that affected several areas. The consequences of such weather are disastrous for many farmers, who have lost significant parts or the totality of their productions, says CEJA in a statement.
Samuel Masse, president of CEJA and a winegrower in the south of France, explains that “the impact is huge” on his vineyards. “All investment projects we had planned will have to be postponed or cancelled”, he laments.
CEJA urges decision-makers to unlock support funds for young farmers in areas impacted by the cold snap and a “mandatory alignment” of Member States’ risk management instruments within their future CAP National Strategic Plans.
CEJA advocates for a combination of private and public risk management tools, such as insurance schemes and mutualisation funds.
Crop insurance. At EU level, there are no specific market measures planned to deal with the effects of frost.
EU countries can finance crop insurance, either under the sectoral fruit and vegetable programmes or under rural development programmes. Under the ‘fruit and vegetable’ programmes, crop insurance is one of the crisis management and prevention measures. Member States shall adopt detailed rules for the implementation of crop insurance schemes, including the rules necessary to ensure that these do not distort competition in the insurance market.
Crop insurance helps to protect producers’ incomes and to cover market losses for producer organisations or their members in the event of natural disasters, climatic events and, where appropriate, disease or pest infestations.
Member States may provide additional national funding to support harvest insurance actions that benefit from the operational fund. However, the total public aid paid for harvest insurance shall not exceed 80% of the cost of the premiums paid by producers in producer organisations against losses.
Under its rural development programme, France, for example, supports crop insurance, under certain conditions. France is not obliged to inform the Commission whether it intends to use this tool. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)