There must be increased market transparency in conjunction with an independent governing body with investigative and disciplinary powers to ensure vertical and horizontal cooperation so that farmers, and especially young farmers, are empowered in the food supply chain.
During his address to Ministers at the Informal Meeting, CEJA President Alan Jagoe highlighted that while young farmers across the EU were committed to helping secure continuous supply chains, poor prices and increased uncertainty of farmers’ place in the food supply chain were discouraging new entrants into the sector. The CEJA President expressed his support of the work of the Milk and Meat Market Observatories alongside the Agricultural Markets Task Force, however voiced concerns over a lack of mandatory mechanisms to protect suppliers and producers, saying: “We need to have an independent governing body, which has oversight, supervision and investigative powers”.
CEJA also encourages vertical and horizontal cooperation in food supply chains through written contracts and increased market transparency to improve the functioning of the food supply chain and to empower farmers and improve their bargaining power. You can read CEJA’s position paper on improving the functioning of the food supply chain in CEJA’s Young Farmer Manifesto, which was launched in September 2015, here.
