Copa President Joachim Rukwied said “We welcome EU Commissioner Oettinger’s plan to raise the EU budget to between 1.1 and 1.2% of the EU’s Gross National Income (GNI)”.
“Farmer’s incomes are 40% of average earnings and they are facing increasing challenges like extreme market volatility and weather events. Yet farmers and foresters look after three quarters of the EU territory in rural areas where no other type of employment exists. Agriculture and forestry are also the only sectors capable of tackling climate change”, Rukwied said.
“Moreover, consumers have benefited from the success of the CAP, seeing their expenditure on food drop from 30% in 1960 to 15% of their incomes today. This needs to continue”, added Rukwied.
Cogeca President Thomas Magnusson underlined that world food production needs to rise by 60% by 2050 to take account of population growth, so farmers and their cooperatives will have to produce more resources more efficiently. In view of the many benefits of farming and the CAP – food at affordable prices, the environment, growth and jobs – we urge Ministers to ensure that spending on the future CAP is at least kept at current levels. Farmers should not after all have to pay the price of Brexit”.
