Their demands are in line with the EU Sheep Meat Forum recommendations to have strong support in the sheep sector via the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), with an emphasis on rewarding sheep farming in areas with natural constraints, which Copa and Cogeca have welcomed.
In particular, MEPs want to at least maintain the voluntary coupled aid for sheep and goat farmers, extend the agri-environmental payments to pastures used for sheep and goat grazing and better support farmers who do more in terms of animal welfare. MEPs also called for measures, in their report which was approved this month, to increase farmers competitiveness and step up promotion measures.
Copa and Cogecas’ Sheepmeat Working Party Chairwoman Michèle Boudoin underlined the benefits of the sector for maintaining biodiversity and for keeping rural areas alive, pointing out that 70% of areas facing natural handicaps are grazed by sheep in the EU. ”But there are many challenges facing the sector and incomes remain fragile. It is important to ensure that the market is balanced and that producers have sufficient money to be able to produce. Strong support via the CAP is essential for this”, she explained. “The EU must ensure that CAP spending in the future EU budget is at least maintained”, Copa and Cogeca Secretary-General Pekka Pesonen concluded.
