Mr Maes stressed the need for a strong palette of flexible instruments to prevent, react and adapt to market and weather fluctuations so that young farmers can deliver food security and environmental performance, including in times of crisis. “It is important that funding the promotion of local economies does not come at the expense of today’s diversity of selling channels. Short food supply chains, while valuable, should not be considered as the unique pathway for creating value” said Mr Maes.
On the topic of labelling, Mr Maes highlighted that “labelling is about empowering consumers in their choices while recognising the exceptional features of traditional food and the value of European cuisine”. He called for “a positive, science-based and non-discriminatory labelling methodology”.
Concerning animal welfare, Mr Maes pointed out that “as European young farmers, we are well aware that the coming decades will bring further change in that relationship” while raising that to move forward on this topic “further knowledge sharing and investment capacity at farm level are crucial”.
The resilience of the European agriculture, as well as its ability to provide further transparency to consumers and guarantee high levels of animal welfare, will strongly depend on the future National Strategic Plans (NSPs). In this perspective, it is crucial that young farmers are involved in the NSPs definition process and that their concerns are taken into account.
