In high-level meeting on future cap, copa-cogeca highlights whole range of measures already introduced to “green” the cap

In a high level meeting on Wednesday on the future Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), Copa-Cogeca highlighted the wide range of costly measures already introduced to further “green” the CAP, which non- EU country imports do not have to meet. Copa-Cogeca warned against increasing costs further.

Speaking at the EU Commission’s enlarged advisory group on the future CAP, Copa President

Padraig Walshe insisted “Since the start of the 1990s, farmers have been confronted with a whole raft of new regulations to ensure environmental protection, including nitrate controls, soil protection directives, as well as animal welfare rules. This has increased their costs enormously, yet they cannot recoup them from the market without becoming uncompetitive when imports, which do not have to meet these costly requirements, flood into the EU. That is why we have been critical of the EU Commissions’ proposals to introduce yet more measures which will raise farmers’ costs even further. Moreover, such a policy could shift production to other places of the world, causing deforestation and other environmental damage”.

“But we believe that solutions can be found that will enable EU farmers to maintain production at the same time as having a positive impact on the environment or on climate change. For example, a grassland payment could help them to stay in production, help reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as have other environmental benefits”, he added.

Cogeca President Paolo Bruni stressed “A competitive agri-food sector is essential in the future to ensure food security and to meet the projected doubling in world food demand. But the

Commission’s plans lack concrete measures needed to ensure this or to strengthen EU farmers’ position in the food chain. Farmers currently only receive a fraction of the retail price. One way to ensure they get a fairer share of the price is by concentrating supply via producer organisations, such as cooperatives. European competition rules must consequently be adjusted to enable them to grow in size and scale, thereby increasing their competitivity and improving the functioning of the food chain. There also needs to be fairer contractual relations”.