The NFU will be taking 30 farming delegates to Monday’s farming protest in Brussels, which will be attended by an estimated 4,000 European farmers.

Affiliated unions NFU Scotland, NFU Cymru and the Ulster Farmers Union will also be sending delegates. The protest has been called by EU farm organisation Copa Cogeca.

The protest, set for 7th September, will take place outside the EU Agriculture Ministers’ extraordinary meeting in Brussels. Member States’ farm ministers are set to gather to discuss the ongoing farming crisis, which has flared up in protests attended by thousands of farmers all over Europe.

Ahead of the Brussels protest NFU dairy board chair Rob Harrison met with MEPs and European Commission officials to repeat calls for the milk intervention price to be reviewed to create a more realistic floor in the market.  And he urged Commissioner Hogan to take steps to assist in developing a fully functioning dairy futures market in the EU.
 
NFU livestock board chair Charles Sercombe also called on European farming organisations to demand a new task force on market transparency in the lamb sector.
 
On Friday, NFU president Meurig Raymond said “British farmers from all sectors are calling on the UK Government to work with the European Commission to implement 10 key measures to enable British farmers to better withstand market volatility.
 
“We have already seen farmers demonstrating across England and Wales. Farming union Presidents, including myself, met Government ministers for talks at a summit in Westminster where Defra recognised that more needed to be done to back British farming during these extremely volatile times.
 
“Now… We need the European Commission to implement measures to ease cash flow difficulties and strengthen safety nets. We need a long term approach in the food supply chain. In dairy this means contracts that allow farmers to plan for the future and lock in a milk price reflective of the cost of production.”
 
He continued, “British farmers need the GSCOP and Groceries Code Adjudicator to stamp out unfair trading practices in the food supply chain. I want that same protection offered by other member states when British farmers trade with European retailers.”