The pro-environmental direction of EU policy is right, and Ukraine needs help, but the EU, in its noble aspirations, seems to have forgotten about its own citizens, whose support is losing.
I believe in the EU’s good intentions
When reading and hearing about some of the EU’s decisions, many people can’t help but feel that there has actually been some kind of conspiracy aimed at extinguishing agricultural production in Europe. Others, who are far from believing in conspiracy theories, will rather talk about the hypocrisy and short-sightedness of agricultural policy in the EU; about inconsistent, chaotic and simply harmful actions.
Despite my deep misunderstanding and lack of support for many EU decisions, I believe that the general pro-environmental and pro-climate direction of today’s Europe is right and necessary. This is the path that the modern world should follow, and this is the path the EU wants to lead. This may be a sign of boundless naivety, but I believe that Brussels’ decisions are based on good intentions and well-informed premises – at least usually.
I am not a supporter of the approach of man completely subjugating the earth and pushing himself with his elbows on every, smallest piece of land, water, air and space. Nature is almost completely defenseless against the strength and power of human technologies, and regulations are needed to protect the declining environment and climate. I realized this most clearly during my stay on a farm in the United States, where this issue is still neglected. Looking at thousands of hectares occupied by three crops without any trees, balks or ponds, empty fields without any signs of life, without insects, birds and sounds of nature, I felt as if I had stumbled upon a movie set. science-fiction about settling an alien, dead planet.
This is not how it should be
Well, the problem is that so far the EU seems to be the only region in the world that notices the problems and needs related to the protection of the planet. Without solidarity actions on all continents, we will not only fail to achieve the goal, but also as Europe we will be left behind economically. Agriculture will be on the front line of fire, because it must be admitted that pro-environmental policy shakes the foundations of this sector the most, and the determination in imposing and enforcing further EU restrictions seems to be greater towards farmers than towards other social and professional groups.
I realize that Europe is not only farmers, or rather, it is mainly not farmers, and the EU in its decisions faces an extremely difficult task of reconciling the expectations of hundreds of millions of inhabitants with extremely different views. However, with the direction of European agricultural policy and the regulations imposed on farmers, Brussels seems to agree with the unfair and unjust view of a large part of society that farmers are a group of dark, cunning and cruel peasants over whom we must stand with a whip of orders, prohibitions and restrictions, otherwise they will not they were able to cultivate their own fields, they will poison humanity with pesticides and terrorize animals. I have the impression that the EU sees farmers as a sore on its progressive tissues.
Another issue that painfully exposes Brussels’ lack of consistency in its own declarations is the policy adopted towards trade with Ukraine. At the same time, when the European farmer is inundated with piles of “papers”, has to repent for breeding animals, and in plant protection he will soon have to rely on a hoe and a bucket to collect beetles – the door is wide open for imported agricultural products whose strict EU standards they no longer cover. In what ways are Ukrainian bees worse than European bees that do not require the withdrawal of pesticides harmful to them? However, we have already written about this many times on our website.
NO exit, a dialog
No wonder European farmers feel neglected and ignored. This is the “shot in the foot” mentioned in the title. The EU, in its noble policy of environmental protection and assistance to Ukraine, seems to have forgotten about its own citizens, whose support it is losing.
As a result, farmers’ legitimate protests become fodder for Eurosceptics. I am not a political scientist, but as a rural resident and co-owner of a farm, I do not believe that leaving the EU would be beneficial for farmers. Despite all voices of dissatisfaction, it must be admitted that accession to the EU in 2004 contributed significantly to progress in Polish agriculture. There is no need for indicators or statistics – it is simply visible on farms. What are we to do after recovering active substances prohibited in the EU and freeing ourselves from the shackles of GAEC standards, if leaving the EU would mean a complete regression for us and a deterioration of our international position (including on agricultural markets)?
What we need is not an “exit”, but a dialogue, a new definition of the Union’s priorities and the place and role that farmers are to play in it. Farmers who want to develop, work actively and be recognized on international markets. Farmers, in addition to high standards and further restrictions, should be offered tools that will enable them to produce in an environmentally and economically sustainable way – without clogging the problems with injections of subsidies.
At the same time, however, it should be remembered that not every EU proposal is an attack on agriculture and not every idea should be “thrown away”. What is needed is farmers’ openness, willingness to look for solutions and jointly create a reality in which various interests can be reconciled.
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