EPP Group: Stop taking our farmers for granted!

“Instead of taking European farmers for granted, we need to support them and include them more in the decision-making on the future of Europe. We must respect them, make sure they can make a decent living, stop overloading them with new bureaucracy and finally appreciate the strategic importance of food production in Europe. The EPP Group will always support our farmers and vibrant rural areas as they are an essential part of our European way of life”, said Manfred Weber MEP, Chairman of the EPP Group.

The EPP Group has gathered more than 800 farmers and other experts on agriculture in the European Parliament today to discuss the future of farming at a conference on the 'European farmers' deal: EPP vision for agriculture in Europe'.

“We want to make European villages attractive to young people. We believe that rural areas have to be further supported - by investing in infrastructure, in digitalisation, in innovation, and healthcare services - so that living in any village in Europe offers the same quality of life as living in a city”, underlined Siegfried Mureşan MEP, Vice-Chair of the EPP Group.

“One of the most important tasks for the next Parliament and Commission is to decide on the future CAP for the period after 2027”, added Norbert Lins MEP, Chairman of the Agriculture Committee.

“In CAP we need a strong economic pillar that enables the transition to more sustainable farming practices, supports generational renewal and protects farmers better in a highly volatile global market. But before the next CAP, we need to fully evaluate the CAP we have. Planning the next one is a job for the next Parliament and Commission”, stated Lins.

“We demand a renewed focus on agricultural research and innovation in all Member States. We need more investment in technology. We will also support all measures enabling young people to secure the sector’s future and furthermore, we stand for a level playing field for all EU farmers within the Single Market”, Herbert Dorfmann MEP, the EPP Spokesman in the Agriculture Committee, emphasised.

“We reject any attempt by large non-agricultural enterprises to set themselves up just to exploit the CAP for financial benefit. This money belongs to active farmers”, Dorfmann concluded.

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