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Brussels – Farmers, including those from Slovakia, have flocked to Brussels en masse to show that change at the European level is truly needed. This was stated during Thursday’s protests in Brussels by the chairman of the Slovak Chamber of Agriculture and Food (SPPK) Andrej Gajdoš. This was reported by TASR’s Brussels correspondent.
Andrej Gajdoš reminded that around 10,000 farmers from 26 member states came to Brussels, where a two-day EU summit is taking place, and the city’s streets were filled with 600 to 700 pieces of heavy machinery. More than 40 professional farmers’ organizations under the umbrella of the Copa-Cogeca association joined the protest.
“The reason is simple. It is the multiannual financial framework and the future Common Agricultural Policy, where cuts are being made in agriculture and food production, funds for farmers are being abolished and a super-fund is being created, where we will have to compete with other ministries for money. We do not agree with this,” he described the reasons for the protests in Brussels.
Another reason is the ongoing negotiations of the European Commission with third countries and the import of agricultural goods and foodstuffs, for example from Mercosur countries, which produce food under completely lower standards than Europeans, as a result of which EU farmers are unable to compete. The third reason for the strike is said to be excessive EU regulations that are created “at the desk” in Brussels and not on farms, where they should be, so that farmers can actually cope with them in practice.
The Slovak delegation did not come to protest with tractors, Gajdoš admitted, it would have been quite complicated, but as he pointed out, in addition to Belgian and French machines, one farmer from Sweden also arrived in Brussels on a tractor, covering 1,400 kilometers in 36 hours.
As part of the delegation of European farmers, Gajdoš had an afternoon meeting scheduled with the European Commissioners for agriculture, budget, trade and the environment. When asked by TASR how he perceives the agreement of EU institutions on safeguard measures within the free trade agreement between the EU and Mercosur, which is supposed to protect the interests of European farmers, he replied that farmers do not see it positively. The European Commissioner for Trade Maroš Šefčovič described this agreement on Wednesday (17 December) as good news for farmers.
“We do not see it so positively, not by far. We demand that agriculture be excluded from this agreement. Such sweet-talking does not work on us,” he said.
The European Commissioner for Agriculture Christophe Hansen visited Slovakia in November, where he also met with representatives of the agri-sector and had the opportunity to explain the principles of the future EU Common Agricultural Policy and the creation of the future long-term budget, which favors smaller and young farmers.
“We have no problem with supporting small farmers. Our problem is that, in general, financial resources are being cut, by half after taking inflation into account. And the demands placed on us are higher. So far, nothing has moved anywhere and we have been hearing these words from Commissioner Hansen and the European Commission for over a year. So far, no change has taken place. That is why we were forced to take to the streets and show that we mean it seriously and that we really need change,” Gajdoš concluded. (18 December)
“In the future Common Agricultural Policy, there are cuts in agriculture and food production, the abolition of funds for farmers and the creation of a super-fund where we will have to compete with other ministries for money. We do not agree with this.” Andrej Gajdoš