The proposals presented by the European Commission on Thursday to reduce the administrative burden on farmers will bring them relief, but they are not sufficient, said Jurgen Tack from the European Landowners Organization (ELO) and Jose Maria Castilla from the Spanish Association of Young Farmers (ASAJA).
– Although the presented proposals will certainly support farmers, as you can see, the European Commission is not able to make decisions affecting long-term agricultural policy, taking into account farmers’ complaints. Farmers have been suffering from continuous changes in legislation for 4.5 years, which have a major impact on their daily lives and professional activities, Tack explained.
– While farmers certainly want to contribute to the SDGs, they should be able to match this with long-term financial commitments, which they have undertaken to enable them to run their farm. When agricultural activities are no longer profitable, farmers cannot be expected to show interest in climate and nature-related goals, the ELO representative added.
Changes are good, but not enough
Jose Maria Castilla from ASAJA admitted that the EC’s proposals are not bad because they will bring relief to farmers who, due to reporting requirements, must also be notaries, economists and engineers.
– This is a positive step, but not enough. First of all, the EC’s proposals are temporary. And they should apply until the end of the current financial perspective of the Common Agricultural Policy, i.e. until 2027. Why? Because due to droughts that affect all of Europe, and the Iberian Peninsula in particular, the application of GAEC standards (standards of good agricultural and environmental protection) in their current form is irrational. There is less grain in the world because of the war in Ukraine. Therefore, we should not have regulations that lead to a reduction in production, but rather increase it, argued Castilla, adding that the EC is reaching out to farmers much too late.
The commission knew our problems very well. We have been reporting on this for years. We decide to act only when we have entered the city streets and before the upcoming European elections. We won’t be fooled by just anything. We are determined to achieve all our goals, said the representative of Spanish farmers.
