Farmers to protest in Strasbourg over EU budget and CAP

European farming organisations are to protest in Strasbourg on Tuesday over cuts to the next EU budget and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

The event is jointly organised by French farm organisations and Copa-Cogeca, which is the umbrella body for EU farming organisations and represents 22 million EU farms.

During the summer, the European Commission presented its proposal to reform the CAP and the EU’s budgetary framework, with the next CAP budget facing a 20% cut in funding.

The praesidia [translated as collective presidency] of Copa and Cogeca last month deemed this proposal to be unacceptable, citing that the proposal crosses numerous red lines that jeopardise the future of the sector.

“We were promised a clear vision and a reliable compass. Instead, we received grand speeches and political actions moving in the opposite direction.

"Agriculture has been relegated to the margins of the Commission president’s priorities - treated, at best, as a mere adjustment variable."

Concerns

“The ball is now in the court of the co-legislators - the European Parliament and the [European] Council.

"Many members of the European Parliament share our concerns, both regarding the substance of the proposal and the unprecedented way in which these initiatives have been driven forward by the top of the European executive.

“MEPs and member states must not allow these flawed proposals to be pushed through. A better, more balanced solution is both possible and necessary - one that upholds the two-pillar structure of the CAP, ensures a dedicated and inflation-proof budget and remains faithful to the EU treaties,” Copa said.