European Coordination Via Campesina

Food producers and health workers are now among the most important actors to address the COVID19 crisis. Small-scale producers all over Europe are the ones who can ensure the resilience of their communities and countries. They are also among the most exposed and affected by the crisis. As the situation with COVID19 changes so quickly, ECVC decided to use this page to list information and updates gathered from its members and allies around Europe and beyond. The most recent will appear at the top:

 

13th of January

 

• AbL’s invitation to a protest in Berlin on the 16th of January : “We are fed up! Overcoming anti-farmer policies – making the rural economy crisis-proof”.

 

12th of January

 

• CNA’s press release on the importance of keeping the markets open during the forthcoming lockdown.

 

8th of January

 

• CNA’s press release on Portuguese family farmers facing COVID-19 and a lack of appropriate policies.

 

4th of January

 

• MODEF’s press release on a peasant tour of France of family farms.

 

16th of December

 

• MODEF’s open letter for transparency on the stall and a ban on importing food products treated with prohibited molecules in France.

 

26th of November

 

• Confédération paysanne’s press release on the french agricultural recovery plan

 

16th of November

 

• MODEF’s Press Release on necessary government measures in support of food producers.

 

5th of November

 

• MODEF’s Press Release on ensuring food sovereignty during the lockdown.

 

9th of November

 

• EcoRuralis’ open letter on letting open all the food markets during the lockdown in Romania

 

2nd of November

 

• CNA’s Press Release on Prohibition of fairs and rising markets penalizing once again Family Farming and consumption of quality and proximity

 

• ARI’s Open Letter asking for the maintenance of farmers’ markets for direct sale

 

29th of October

 

• MODEF’s Press Release on the impact of lockdown on family farmers

 

28th of October 

 

• Confédération Paysanne’s Press Release on lockdown and markets

 

 

27th of October 

 

• MODEF’s Press release asking the French government to act in order to save farmers

 

25th of September

 

• MODEF’s Press release in support of hospitality sector in France facing the new governmental measures

 

24th of September

 

• Confédération Paysanne’s Press release asking the French to take concrete measures to support the baby goats chain impacted by the covid crisis

 

4th of September

 

• Press release by MODEF on the recovery plan for agriculture in France

 

3rd of September

 

• Confédération paysanne’s press release on the recovery plan for agriculture in France

 

20th of August

 

• Press release by COAG on the lowering of price of grapes paid by wineries in Castilla La Mancha

 

7th of August

 

• Press release by MODEF on COVID 19 support measures for the wine sectors in France

 

3rd of August

 

• Confédération paysanne’s proposal to build a fairer agricultural and food sector for the after Covid19 pandemic crisis. The work starts now.

 

30th of July

 

• Press release by COAG on the necessary measures to prevent the collapse of the wine market in the new season

 

24th of July

 

• CNA’s press release on the EU budget agreement, including the Recovery Fund

 

21th of July

 

• Confédération Paysanne’s press release on the EU budget agreement including the recovery fund

 

• Modef press release: a stable French CAP budget with a reduction in the first pillar

 

• COAG press release: The essential nature of the agricultural sector is not reflected in the CAP budget 2021-2027

 

24th of June

 

• Press release: Modef’s plan proposal to relaunch the agricultural sector in France

 

12th of June

 

• Presse release: Confédération paysanne’s call to join the Health care mobilisation in France on the 16th of June

 

10th of June

 

• From the ECVC Italian member ARI: political and anlysis document on the Covid-19 pandemic and agriculture including political demands for agroeocology and for stopping fake solutions

 

• ARI’s Press release on the publication of the political and anlysis document on the Covid-19 pandemic and agriculture

 

8th of June

 

• Press release on the 34 measures taken to respond to social and ecological emergencies, published collectively by different organisations, including ECVC’s member Confédération paysanne

 

3rd of June

 

• Press Release by Confédération Paysanne on the re-opening of restaurants in France, demanding to prioritize local production

 

2nd of June

 

• Explanation of Food Sovereignty in the context of COVID-19 by Brut Nature with ECVC member Geneviève Savigny

 

• COAG’s 100 Agrarian proposals for the social and economical renewal of Spain

 

27th of May

 

• ECVC’s press release to demand a revision of the CAP reform to respond to new social, economic, political and environmental realities and to meet the needs of peasant farmers and European citizens

 

26th of May

 

• 20 French organisations, including Confédération Paysanne, have developed an action plan encompassing 34 political measures to face and solve the current crisis

 

25th of May

 

• In the Spanish context, COAG, together with a group of small businesses, are calling for an Integral Plan to revive the sector from the Covid-19 crisis and protect it from unfair competition by large digital platforms.

 

• Summary document of the issues that most affect the agri-food sector and the rural world in Spain

 

20th of May

 

• Press release by Confédération Paysanne calling for a mobilisation against the new free trade agreements that the EU is finalising with Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and the US

 

19th of May

 

• ARI’s Press release in support of the agricultural workers strike organized in Italy on the 21th of May

 

• The issue of the contamination of covid-19 in the slaughterhouses is becoming an issue also in France. Confédération Paysanne is asking the re-localization of slaughterhouses and the respect of labour rights and animal welfare.

 

14th of May

 

• Press release by French organisations, including Confédération paysanne, denouncing the strategies of agribusiness within the Covid-19 pandemia within the French context

 

11th of May

 

• ABL’s Press Release denouncing the inhumane conditions facing employees in slaughterhouse in Germany, in particular in the context of the covid-19 pandemia. ABL is demanding safety measures for employees but also fairer prices for meat farmers that are also affected by the unsustainibility of the meat cheap system.

 

8th of May

 

• ECVC considers the European Commission’s measures ineffective and insufficient in the face of the crisis in the European dairy sector

 

7th of May

 

• Ari’s political demands for the Italian agricultural sector in view of the newly launched measures declared by the Italian government

 

• Ari’s analysis on the current situation in the agricultural sector in Italy

 

• ABL’s press release demanding to the German bund agricultural ministetries in the context of the pandemia and of the enviromental challegnes to be more ambitious in re-designing the CAP

 

6th of May

 

• Article on how the Corona-crisis affects small Greek farmers who counterstrike with a nationwide social media campaign to unite producers & consumers on local level. The article is authored by ECVC’s ally in the European and Central Asia food sovereingty network, Nyéléni-ECA

 

5th of May

 

• Collective article (to which Nordbruk, an ECVC member, contributed) highlighting the fragility and lack of preparedness in Sweden and the rest of the world to guarantee a secure food supply in the context of Covid-19 and the 17th of April. This article also has demands regarding the UNDROP (that wasn’t approved by the Swedish government)

 

30th of April

 

• Press release by Confédération Paysanne on the real meaning of Food sovereignty in the context of Covid-19

 

• ECVC press release on the situation of migrants in Europe in the context of Covid-19

 

• ECVC Open Letter to the European Institutions on the situation of migrants in Europe in the context of Covid-19

 

29th of April

 

• “Never again”: several organizations are calling for participation in trade union mobilizations to give the 1st May, the International Labor Day, a special echo in the context of the health crisis.

 

• Press Release by FUGEA: The lockdown does not stop competitiveness in our agriculture

 

24th of April

 

• ECVC SURVEY ON THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON PEASANT FARMING

 

• Press Release by FUGEA on the measures adopted by the European Commission for the milk sector

 

• A solidarity article from Brandenburg agriculture in time of Covid-19 crisis, written by an activist of AbL Brandenburg. A Spanish translation is available HERE.

 

22nd of April

 

• Press Release and report by COAG on the lowering of milk prices announced by the industry

 

21st of April

 

• COAG on speculation in the oil market

 

17th of April

 

• Collective article in the framework of the 17th of April celebration, authored also by Nordbruk (ECVC’s member in Sweden), on the impact of the covid-19 pandemia on the Swedish food and agricultural system. Including political demands on the UNDROP.

 

• Press Release by Confédération Paysanne on the International Day of Peasant Struggle and their initiatives

 

• Press release of ÖBV in Austria on the occasion of the International Day of Peasant Struggle and Covid-19: Strengthening Rights and Fighting Hunger

 

• The Sindicato Andaluz de Trabajadores/as (SAT) commemorate the massacre of the landless peasants in 1996 in Eldorado dos Carajás, Brazil

 

• ECVC’s press release in the framework of International Day of Peasant Struggle and Covid19, including ECVC political demands to the EU institutions

 

16th of April

 

• Open letter by Ecoruralis to the Romanian Government and Parliament

 

• Op-ed on the Italian Farmers demands in the framework of the International Day of Peasant Struggle and Covid19. Written by Antonio Onorati, member of Associazione rurale Italiana

 

• Op-ed on the Basque Farmers demands in the framework of the International Day of Peasant Struggle and Covid19. Written by Andoni Garcia Arriola, member of the executive committee of Ehne Bizkaia Union and member of the Coordinating Committee of ECVC

 

• Press Release by the Confédération Paysanne for childcare for peasants during confinement

 

14th of April

 

• International Planning Committee on Food Sovereignty (IPC) statement on Covid-19

 

10th of April

 

• ECVC open letter to the European Agricultural Commissioner on the crisis of the milk sector

 

• Press release by EcoRuralis on lifting the travel ban for migrant seasonal workers, including political demands

 

8th of April

 

• More than 600 organisations in Spain send a letter to the Ministries of Health and Consumption to demand measures in favor of small-scale, local, and agroecological food supply chains (following the letter of the 30th of March)

 

• Press Release by ABL on the cooperation between civil society and peasants during the crisis 

 

7th of April

 

• Press Release and price analysis by COAG on ‘Producing food in times of pandemic’

 

• Letter by Confédération Paysanne to the French Government with measures to protect farmers and their activity in Covid-19

 

6th of April

 

• Press Release by Confédération Paysanne: 15 NGOs and unions launch a national petition for a radical political change during and after the crisis

 

3rd of April

 

• Press Release by Uniterre on the re-opening of local markets in Switzerland

 

• Press Release by FUGEA on the difficulties in the milk sector in Belgium

 

• Press Release by Confédération Paysanne on the difficulties in the milk sector in France

 

• Press Release by COAG on the difficulties of the goat milk producers in Spain

 

2nd of April

 

• Collection of videos by COAG: farmers tell how they are affected by the closure of the local markets

 

• Press Release by Confédération Paysanne on 2020 dividends

 

1st of April

 

• Press Release by Confédération Paysanne on large-scale distribution

 

• Press Release by Confédération Paysanne on the new PAC 2020

 

• Press Release by Confédération Paysanne on new solidarity structures for food provisioning

 

30th of March

 

• More than 150 organizations in Spain write a letter to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fishery, and Nutrition to demand measures in favor of small-scale, local, and agroecological food supply chains

 

27th of March

 

• Press Release by ARI on urgent measures to support small-scale producers  and a more detailed analysis of demands based on the situation in Italy

 

• Press Release by Ecoruralis on peasants’ actions and solutions in Romania

 

• Press release by ÇİFTÇİ-SEN: To Avoid New Coronaviruses, Food Sovereign Right Now

 

• Press release by Confédération paysanne on the importance to take urgent market measures  in different agricultural sectors in France and in the EU

 

26th of March

 

• ECVC’s Press Release: Here and ready: the value of peasant agriculture in the context of COVID-19

 

• Press release by Confédération paysanne and FNAB on food distribution alternatives in France during the pandemic crisis

 

• Press release by Confédération Paysanne on labour rights in the French agricultural sector

 

• ABL’s position on the impact of the COVID19 pandemic in the German milk sector

 

• Press release by Sindicato Labrego Galego on Fiscal measures for farmers in Galicia

 

25th of March

 

• #StayHomeButNotSilent – Via Campesina International’s Call for mobilisation for the 17 April in times of pandemic

 

• Press release by ABL on the situation in Germany, including political demands

 

• Video by the President of ARI requesting the Italian Government to take urgent measures in support of peasants

 

24th of March

 

• Press release by Confédération paysanne on the situation in France including political demands

 

• Press release by SAT on the situation in Andalucia including political demands

 

23rd of March

 

• Press release by COAG on the situation in the Spanish State including political demands

 

• Press release by Confédération paysanne on the situation in France including political demands

 

20th of March

 

• Open Letter by Confédération paysanne on the situation in France including political demands

 

• Open Letter by CNA on the situation in Portugal including political demands

 

• Press release by Uniterre on the situation in Switzerland including political demands

 

19th of March

 

• Press release by ARI on the situation in Italy including political demands

 

• Press release by FUGEA on the situation in Belgium including political demands

 

17th of March

 

• Letter by ARI to Italian municipalities network in order to keep farmers’ markets open