Copa and Cogeca, representing European farmers and agricultural cooperatives, have welcomed the first initiative of the new European Commissioner for Agriculture, Christophe Hansen. It is a document presented to the European Commission in which he wishes to improve the current position of farmers with two proposals for regulations, one linked to Unfair Commercial Practices, and the other aimed at improving the framework of the Common Market Organisation (CMO). With these proposals, the Commissioner hopes to avoid conflicts such as those that occurred at the beginning of this year in different countries within the European framework, with protests by farmers.
With only ten days in his post, Commissioner Hansen has presented a document that seeks to reach agreements to improve the conditions of farmers and cooperatives in the food chain, with two proposals that revolve around Unfair Commercial Practices (UCPs) and the framework of the Common Organisation of Agricultural Markets (COM), and which have been applauded by Copa and Cogeca.
As announced by Copa-Cocega, Hansen’s proposal on unfair commercial practices ‘is a step in the right direction to correct and improve the 2019 directive’. However, they stressed that ‘it is crucial that it goes further’, as neither farmers nor cooperatives ‘can continue to bear the burden of selling their products below the cost of production’.
To reflect this situation, they propose updating the list of UCPs, addressing what they describe as the ‘fear factor’ by allowing anonymous reporting and ensuring effective enforcement mechanisms not only at national level, but also in cross-border transactions.
They also call for strong and dissuasive sanctions to be applied in cases of breaches of the rules, to prevent further infringements and to restore fairness in the supply chain.
They also call for particular attention to be paid to proposals to improve the CMO rules, especially with regard to the role of Producer Organisations (POs), which are essential to improve the market position of farmers, to guarantee better negotiating conditions and to ensure fair prices.
In his view, strengthening POs and safeguarding the specific relationship between farmers and their cooperatives will be vital to achieve these objectives.
Working with the Commission
Copa-Cogeca announced that they will actively engage with policy makers in the coming months to ensure that these proposals are refined and deliver much needed improvements for farmers and their cooperatives across Europe.
Copa and Cogeca are the union of EU farmers and agricultural cooperatives for sustainable, innovative and competitive agriculture, while ensuring food security for 500 million people across Europe.
