European Farm organisation Copa Cogeca is to hold a mass demonstration to demand the EU takes action to support farmers, after those struggling in France, Belgium and the UK took to the streets this week to vent their frustration and draw attention to their plight.

The demonstration has been called for 7th September outside the EU farm ministers’ meeting in Brussels. However, national protests have increased in intensity this week, as prices for range of animal products fall further and more farmers are threatened with bankruptcy.

Copa Cogeca blamed the Russian trade embargo for creating a “drastic market situation” but other European farm unions, including France’s FNSEA and the Valencian Unio de Llauradors i Ramaders have offered a different narrative, naming processing companies and large retailers as the “Main culprits” in the Europe-wide crisis, and claiming they “Abuse their dominant position in the market and impose ruinous prices on producers.” 

EU-wide lobby group Copa welcomed the EU Commission’s decision, reached on Thursday, to introduce new measures to support EU fruit and vegetable growers and dairy producers, but said the terms offered are nowhere near enough to compensate producers for their losses.

Measures announced by the Commission include withdrawing some fruit and vegetables from the market until the end of June 2016 (these will be offered for free distribution to charitable organisations and as animal feed). Public buying-in and storage aid for butter and skimmed milk powder were also extended to February 2016.

On Thursday, Copa President Albert Jan Maat commented, “The move is a positive step forward. The trade embargo from Russia – which farmers and cooperatives are the victims of - has cut approximately half, 5,5 billion euro, of our agri-food exports. We welcome the EU Commission announcement today to officially introduce measures in the coming weeks to support fruit and vegetable growers and dairy producers in the wake of the Russian crisis. But it is not nearly enough. Demonstrations have been taking place across Europe for months”.

“In the milk sector, we… want the EU Commission to allow Member States to advance the direct payments before the 1st of December. Around €700 million will also be taken out of the dairy sector as a result of the 2014/2015 milk superlevy bill at a time when dairy farmers desperately need cash. This should therefore be returned to the sector to help farmers with their cash flow problems. The EU intervention price must also be increased to put a floor in the market. Last set in 2008, it is nowhere near production costs.”

Meanwhile, in England, farmers in Staffordshire have taken to A-roads in tractors and Young Farmers in Gloucestershire entered three supermarkets on Thursday night and removed all milk cartons from chiller cabinets in protest against low prices being received by dairy farmers. Once chillers had been emptied, the protestors abandoned their full trollies at the check-out.