Copa President Martin Merrild pays tribute to FNSEA President

 Copa President Martin Merrild paid tribute today to FNSEA President and former Copa Vice-President Xavier Beulin after he passed away Sunday of a brutal heart attack, saying it is a great loss to agriculture.
 
Praising his good work, Mr Merrild said “It is with great sadness that we heard today of the death of a dynamic leader in the farming community Mr Xavier Beulin. My sincere condolences go to his family. It is a sad loss for Copa and indeed for farmers across the world. He was very committed to his work, pressing for an innovative, sustainable and competitive EU agriculture sector. He was someone who had a clear vision of European agriculture and indeed of the significant contribution that agriculture and forestry make to fighting climate change”.
 
Together with the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO), he was at the forefront of organizing an International conference on climate change and agriculture in Paris which was attended by farm leaders across the world and where French Premier Minister Manuel Valls supported us in our fight against climate change, Mr Merrild added.
 
“Mr Beulin was a great promoter of research and innovation, realising that it is crucial for a dynamic EU agriculture sector in the future. He was also Chairman of our Oilseeds and Protein Crops Working Party for 6 years prior to being President of FNSEA and found innovative solutions for the development of the sector. At the same time, he was a passionate and successful farmer himself. His contribution to the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) which is currently up for debate will be sorely missed”, he concluded.