Farmers reject disastrous budget proposal for Multiannual Financial Framework and CAP

Today’s proposals dismantle the Common Agricultural Policy in the EU, in turn threatening the incomes and existence of many farmers, driving inequalities between Member States and destabilising the entire European agri-food chain.

Moves to further renationalise the CAP through National and Regional Plans are a way for the European Commission to flout responsibility and, combined with the abolition of a detached CAP budget and dilution of part of the first and the second pillar of the CAP in a general national budget, will chip away at the fabric of a shared agricultural policy in Europe. The Commission is sending a clear message that European food production is not a priority, while cowardly passing the buck to Member States in full awareness of the consequences and incompatibility with EU agricultural goals such as generational renewal.

The abolition of ringfenced budgets for agri-environment and climate measures is dangerous and irresponsible. European Union’s capacity to achieve a more sustainable and agroecological transition and tackle the climate crisis will be put in direct competition with other cohesion measures, creating a lose-lose situation for European society.

Furthermore, the proposals do not address the central issues of market regulation and fair prices for farmers and consumers: measures to regulate markets, guarantee prices and ensure stable incomes are all missing from the proposals, showing the European Commission have quickly forgotten the lessons of last year’s protests. Any mention of risk management only focuses on insurance mechanisms and leaves the initiative to Member States.

While the inclusion of capping and degressivity for direct payments is welcomed, the cap must be sufficient to ensure that support goes to the farmers who need it to survive. We reject the continued focus on hectare-based payments – the only payments with a dedicated budget in the new proposal. These benefit mainly the largest farms in Europe, drive land concentration and impede the inclusion of young farmers, and must be subject to a EUR 60,000 cap to minimise these negative impacts. In parallel, flat-rate payments to small farmers remain insignificant and inadequate, with no dedicated budget to prioritise young farmers and generational renewal, as the Commission claims to do, despite the fact that aid requests from new entrants already outstrip the capacity or will of states to respond.

After the protests of last year, farmers have engaged in good faith in EU policy spaces such as the Strategic Dialogue and Youth Dialogue in order to outline their priorities and needs to ensure sustainable, resilient food systems in Europe.

With this Multiannual Financial Framework and CAP budget proposal, the European Commission has failed to take into account the voice of farmers in the EU. Just as ECVC members were present at the mobilisation in Brussels today, in the autumn they will be on the streets with new mobilisations or at negotiations tables. ECVC will continue to demand a strong, cohesive Community Agricultural Policy that responds to the needs of both farmers and European citizens to guarantee a more sustainable and agroecological farming model and local food systems, linked to the territory.

The full ECVC CAP position paper is available hereand farmers’ demands on the CAP budget are summarised here. ECVC will soon present a further detailed analysis of the documents.