The 10th edition of the Congress of European farmers organised by Copa and Cogeca and supported by the Croatian Chamber of Agriculture (HPK), was held in Šibenik from 12 to 14 October. Among the 400 participants and panelists, concerns related to the multiple aftershocks of Covid-19, the war in Ukraine and the climate change effects marked the discussions. A consensus arised from all stakeholders inv olv edin the panels: food security and sustainability must be the priority objectives, with innovation and investments connecting both.
With the Covid crisis, farmers and European cooperatives had been waiting for four years for their Congress to be held. Meanwhile European agriculture has had to face crises that have followed one after the other with increasing intensity. Even if European agriculture has been very resilient, as MEP Norbert Lins pointed out, it cannot and should never be taken for granted. At the same time, the issues of climate change and biodiversity loss are equally essential. For Zdeněk Nekula, the Czech Minister of Agriculture, the agricultural sector is one of the only economic sectors that can act by proposing concrete solutions on both issues. Minister Nekula focused his speech on two concrete examples; carbon farming and new genomic techniques.
For Mrs. Lambert, President of Copa, “In our vast exchanges over the past two days of the Congress, we could feel how complicated the situation is on the ground and how many short and long-term uncertainties there are. It should not be exacerbated by the various proposals from the European Commission which are currently on the table or announced. We need a reality check to consider the new elements that are impacting the sector and to focus on solutions that could bring clarity and answers to farmers.”
The war in Ukraine and its consequences were also at the heart of the discussions. Mykola Solskyi, Minister of Agrarian Policy and Maria Didukh, Director of the Ukrainian National Agrarian Forum gave a strong testimony on the intensification of the conflict and the concern found in the Ukrainian agricultural community, where it’s already expected that there will be a decrease of their production by 40% for the 2023 harvest. On the European side, the question of energy and fertiliser prices and availabilities were highlighted with a video conference intervention by the Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski (who was held up in Brussels) with an update on the awaited communication on fertilisers. On her side, Marija Vučković, hosting Croatian agricultural minister, highlighted the importance of having a coordinated European actions to support European farmers making the best use of tools available in the new CAP.
For Mr. Armengol, President of Cogeca, “With the weaponising of food and energy supplies by Russia, we need a common and united European response. Agri-cooperatives are even more important than ever as they help farmers to face the current challenges, reducing production costs and creating more added value in their products.”
More than ever agriculture is essential for food security, ecological transition, the fight against climate change and energy dependency. Agriculture needs more support and consideration to be more attractive, competitive, resilient and sustainable. It will be the only way to reach generational renewal.
Artigo publicado originalmente em Copa Cogeca.