On Monday, 4,000 farmers are expected to demonstrate ahead of an EU Agriculture Ministers’ extraordinary meeting in Brussels. Before the tractors roll in and herds of farm animals are paraded through the streets, our Europe expert, Fay Jones, explains why action is being taken.
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Now NFU members from all farming sectors will join thousands of their counterparts from across the continent in a protest led by European farmers organisation Copa-Cogeca (of which the NFU is a long-standing member). It is deliberately timed to coincide with an emergency meeting of the Agriculture Council. Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan will attend the meeting and is expected to brief ministers on steps to help the agriculture sector. Liz Truss will attend for the UK.
On a European level, this crisis began over a year ago when Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that all imports of European agricultural products were banned. This decision wiped around €12 billion off the European agricultural market. Initially, it was the countries nearest Russia that took the hit – no longer being able to trade with their nearest neighbours – but now the pinch is being felt by farmers right across Western Europe and so the NFU is getting stuck in.
We all know that volatility and farming go hand in hand – like rain in harvest season. But we need our representatives in Brussels to help us withstand that volatility
Firstly, farmers want to show decision-makers in Brussels that ‘enough is enough’. We all know that volatility and farming go hand in hand – like rain in harvest season. But we need our representatives in Brussels to help us withstand that volatility. That’s why lacing up our marching boots isn’t the only thing we’re doing. We’re talking to ministers both here and in Westminster, taking part in Copa working parties to drive policy changes at a European level, and meeting with UK MEPs to get them to back British farming in the European Parliament. To focus minds we’ve created a ten-point plan, a blueprint for decision makers both at home and abroad.
Raising awareness is important. But speaking to people at the heart of Government – the ones who make the big decisions - is a vital piece of the puzzle. We’ll make sure our voice is heard on the streets of Europe and in the corridors of power.