MEPs were united in a debate in Strasbourg on Wednesday 7 February on the need to ensure a decent income for farmers and to guarantee that imported products meet the same standards as those applied in the EU, but they passed the quid on who is to blame for the current crisis in the farming world. Furthermore, few proposals have been made to help the agricultural sector, in addition to those already presented or planned by the European Commission (see EUROPE 13344/10).
The EPP Group in the European Parliament claims it was the first to sound the alarm. For Manfred Weber (EPP, German), the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is not a subdivision of environmental policy. We must not approach challenges from an ideological angle, he warned. He criticised the proposals on the Nature Restoration Law and pesticides, and said that farmers know that “we are their best advocate”.
Anne Sander (EPP, French) called for a break in regulations, mirror clauses for imported products, simplification of CAP rules and changes to the rules on 4% set-aside.
Asked about the attacks on Spanish trucks transporting produce in France, Ms Sander called for the same rules to apply in Europe as in the rest of the world. Since the beginning of the farmers’ anger movement, there has been increasing criticism in France of Spanish farmers who are accused of flooding the French market with low-cost products that use greater quantities of plant protection products than in France.
François-Xavier Bellamy (EPP, French) criticised the French members of the Renew Europe group for supporting the Nature Restoration Law and approving the EU/New Zealand free trade agreement, which will bring in 30,000 tonnes of lamb and 20,000 tonnes of milk powder produced using methods banned in Europe. “We have to face up to the responsibilities of our respective groups”, said Mr Bellamy.
Jérémy Decerle (Renew Europe, French) said he accepted responsibility for the votes he had taken part in. “Farmers are not looking for culprits, but for solutions”, he insisted. Pascal Canfin (Renew Europe, French) suggested finding a consensus around three key issues: income, the green transition and the fight against unfair competition as well as the necessary protection of EU agriculture.
Change the CAP. The S&D and Greens/EFA groups emphasise the need to reform the CAP, which has only been in force since 2023.
Iratxe García Pérez (S&D, Spanish) began by denouncing France and Hungary for criticising the CAP. She asked the Commission to compensate the Spanish and Italian transporters who were victims of the attacks in France. She called for aid for farmers in difficulty to be maintained and for the directive against unfair commercial practices to be properly implemented. According to Iratxe García Pérez, the EU must not sacrifice its trade agreements with third countries.
Ecology is not the enemy of agriculture, stated Christophe Clergeau (S&D, French). Liberalism leads to a fall in farm income, he argued, before proposing a different CAP, because aid per hectare and the sale of products on deregulated markets do not work. In particular, it is necessary to restore stocks, suspend free trade agreements and generalise ‘mirror clauses’, he concluded.
Philippe Lamberts (Greens/EFA, Belgian) said that the European Green Deal was not the culprit. In his view, the blame lies not only with the economic system, which is crushing farmers, but also with free trade agreements. He criticised a production-oriented CAP designed to prevent any progress being made on the green transition.
The Commission is continuing the dialogue. Maroš Šefčovič, Vice-President of the European Commission, spoke of the challenges facing the agricultural sector and said that “agriculture and nature will have to go hand in hand”. He invited the stakeholders to hold discussions as part of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture in order to find “a consensus “ on the future of this policy.
At the end of the debate, Mr Šefčovič spoke of the complexity of the issues and the need to work together to find constructive solutions. We need to overcome the polarisation of our debates, he advised. We need to guarantee farmers’ incomes and protect those who produce sustainably, without falling into the trap of cheap imports from third countries, he summarised. The problem of access to land needs to be resolved and the administrative burden reduced, acknowledged the Vice-President, who also recalled last week’s proposals to grant a partial derogation from set-aside obligations and to limit Ukrainian agricultural imports.
EU Council debates continue. On behalf of the Belgian Presidency of the EU Council, Hadja Lahbib, the country's Minister of Foreign Affairs, confirmed that at the next EU ‘Agriculture’ Council on Monday 26 February, the ministers will be able to express their views on the measures proposed by the Commission and assess “the need for additional measures”. The CAP has an essential role to play, but the rules have to be updated to take account of the fundamental objectives of ensuring food security and fair remuneration for farmers, she added. “Farming must be sustainable for the planet and for those who cultivate it”, concluded Hadja Lahbib. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)