Over 500 tractors and over 3000 farmers from across Finland are demonstrating today at the Senate`s square in Helsinki. Farmers are giving their list of demand to the prime minister of Finland Juha Sipilä and the minister for agriculture and environment Kimmo Tiilikainen.
Agricultural income of Finnish farmers has declined the fastest in the whole EU during the last few years due to the Russian ban, difficult market situation, decline and delay of farm subsidy payments due to both the new CAP-regulations and IT-problems of Finnish Agency for Rural Affairs. Finnish farmers are also frustrated about increasing bureaucracy coming from CAP-measures.
Part of the problem is also the increased price competition from the retailers which has worsened the situation further. In Finland retailer market is one of the most centralized in Europe.
Recent estimates from year 2015 by Natural Resources Institute Finland are indicating a catastrophic 40 per cent drop of agricultural income from 2014. The average farm income in a Finnish farm will be estimated to be only 9 700 euros a year.
Farmers union MTK and the Union of Swedish speaking farmers in Finland SLC are demanding Finnish government to
• defend Finnish agriculture by starting rapid measures to tackle the crisis and ensure liquidity of Finnish farms
• demand justified compensation from losses coming directly and indirectly from the Russian EMBARGO as well as rapid measures to minimize market disturbances. EU must re-establish good economic relations with Russian relating to agriculture
• strengthen the position of agriculture in the food chain via EU-legislation
• demand EU to take strong actions regarding the agricultural input markets
• lessen red tape in payment schemes and unjustifiable sanctions
• ensure that the management and operations of Finnish Agency for Rural Affairs will be reorganize so that payments can be paid on time without delays from what has been informed
• advanced farm payments of 2016
