The food and farm input price crises that have been created by Russia’s actions in Ukraine require actions to be taken by the EU to better ensure food security is maintained, MEP and former Commissioner for Agriculture Dacian Ciolos has stated.

“We can see that Russia has been strategically targeting Ukrainian food production by destroying farms, by destroying [food] storage capacity, by destroying infrastructure in agriculture, mining fields also,” Ciolos said.

“So, the direct consequences of what Putin’s Russia is doing for food security are first of all, increasing food and input prices.”

Ciolos’s comments came as the Romainian MEP launched a series of 15 policy proposals that resulted from deliberations of a group of his fellow MEPs in the Renew grouping in the European Parliament.

Export help

The former Commissioner urged for measures to be taken by the European Commission to assist Ukrainian farmers trying to export grain and livestock.

The mining of Black Sea ports has meant that the establishment of “green lanes” to take Ukrainian grain to ports outside the country by road is essential while efforts continue “at all levels” in the EU to find a diplomatic solution to de-mine the Black Sea.

The MEP claimed that Ukrainian farmers had stock ready for live export, many of which would be destined for markets in Asia, but that they have had to face additional feed costs when left unable to sell the stock due to the war’s disruption of trade.

Allowing Ukrainian farmers to sell their goods is also necessary to ensuring cashflow is maintained in their farm businesses, allowing for the cash reserves to be there to carry out next year’s planting, the former European Commissioner for Agriculture said.

Policy proposals

Ciolos pointed to a greater awareness at EU-level of the urgency to ensure food security when presenting his group’s proposals: “As you know, the war in Ukraine [has] put food security on equal footing with energy security, with defence, and with the fight against climate change.”

He argued that improving farm sustainability and ensuring better food security could happen simultaneously, rejecting the notion that the two concepts go against each other.