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Feeding Europe's future together!

Copa and Cogeca are the united voice of farmers and agri-cooperatives in the EU. Together, we ensure that EU agriculture is sustainable, innovative and competitive, while guaranteeing food security for 500 million people throughout Europe. 

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COPA AND COGECA PRESIDENTS ATTEND INFORMAL COUNCIL MEETING

On 7th September, the Copa and Cogeca Presidents participated in the Informal meeting of the Council of European agriculture ministers, which was held in Slovenia. Copa and Cogeca’s Presidents had the opportunity to share their vision for the future of rural areas as well as some of the key priorities for the sector with the Presidency. For more information regarding the content of the meeting refer to the relevant Press Release.


The full Press Release can be found HERE

09/09/2021

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Key Highlights

Policy

Agriculture is one of the most integrated sectors at European level and lies at the heart of many European institution initiatives. Copa and Cogeca organise themselves so as to respond to the challenges and questions posed by European decision-makers, allowing European farmers and cooperatives to put forward their views and proposals concerning a multitude of subjects that directly affect farmers no matter what agricultural activity they are involved in. In the following 12 categories, you will find our positions on key issues affecting the future of European agriculture.

million livestock units

in Europe


million farmers

in Europe


hectares in average per farm

in Europe

Our Vision – We Farm 4 EU

The coming decade is pivotal for EU agriculture. Many challenges lie ahead. We will face difficult debates on generation renewal, low farm income, market volatility and climate change. As European farmers and cooperatives, we are aware of and ready to navigate these difficult issues and to weather the changes in store. We seek to deliver the type of agriculture that our citizens expect and demand: agriculture that provides a high level of food security and high standards of quality, welfare, sustainability and environmental protection. This is our commitment to Europe! In return, we look to Europe’s leaders to deliver the policy framework that will feed our future.  

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LATEST NEWS






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On the outcome of the vote by the AGRI and ENVI Committees on the overall European Parliament draft report on the Farm to Fork Strategy

As expected, MEPs of the AGRI and ENVI Committees have decided today to back up their whole report on the Farm to Fork strategy. We acknowledge the work of the rapporteurs in trying to propose balanced compromise amendments. The final text contains some interesting proposals and advances, particularly when it comes to innovation, carbon farming, trade and the strengthening of Agri-cooperatives.

10.09.2021 #STATEMENT

On the outcome of the vote on the amendments by the AGRI and ENVI Committees on the European Parliament draft report on the Farm to Fork Strategy

Despite a growing number of evidence on the impact of the Farm to Fork strategy and despite repeated warnings from a large number of stakeholders , MEPs of the AGRI/ENVI committee have decided to add several new requirements to the initial proposal from the Commission. These new proposals on the future of PPPs, or on a tax on certain food products, as well as the rest of the strategy have not been subject to preliminary assessments.

09.09.2021 #STATEMENT

The European Parliament must not make the Farm to Fork strategy untenable for the agri-food sector

On Thursday, the ENVI and AGRI Committees of the European Parliament will vote on their draft report presenting their official reaction to the Farm to Fork strategy. While the first studies on the impact of the strategy launched by the Commission in 2020 show extremely worrisome trends, MEPs are planning to call for several additional objectives and targets for the Commission Strategy that would be simply untenable for the EU farming community.

07.09.2021 #JOINT DECLARATION

Faced with an increasingly untenable situation on the UAN fertiliser market, farmers ask the Commission to ‘dump the anti-dumping measure’

The price of fertilisers, especially nitrogen solution (UAN), is constantly increasing in all EU countries. This situation is due to rising global fertiliser demand and gas and sea freight prices, as well as insufficient competition in the EU domestic market. However, the main cause of weak competition on the single market is the implementation by the European Commission of an anti-dumping tax in 2019 on UAN imports from the main producing countries.

06.09.2021 #PRESS RELEASE

There is much to be expected from the Slovenian Presidency when it comes to agriculture

With the summer holidays coming to an end and with the harvest completed almost everywhere across Europe, it is a good moment to reflect and prepare for the rest of the year. Judging from the Slovenian Presidency's programme presented at the beginning of July, we can certainly expect at least the same intensity of work that we have witnessed so far this year. In light of the upcoming informal Council, which will be held in the magnificent Slovenian countryside, I wish to share some of my more formal thoughts.

30.08.2021 #OPINION

The Commission’s inconvenient truth - The Joint Research Center releases a report on the impact of the Biodiversity and Farm to Fork strategies on agriculture

How do you bury an embarrassing report? The European Commission has just given us a master class. In the middle of the summer holidays, its Joint Research Center (JRC) released a long-awaited report on the impact of four selected targets of the Biodiversity and Farm to Fork strategies. Rarely has a report been so careful to avoid saying what it has to say: whatever the scenarios considered, the effect of these strategies will be an unprecedented reduction of EU production capacity and of its farmers’ income. The largest part of the reduction in agricultural emissions achieved through these strategies will be erased by a sustainability leakage to third countries resulting from this loss in production!

09.08.2021 #PRESS RELEASE

Copa and Cogeca meets Slovenian Presidency and calls for continuation of CAP work and swift action in helping those affected by floods

Today, Copa and Cogeca met with the new Presidency of the Council, Agriculture Minister Jože Podgoršek to discuss the Slovenian Presidency priorities. These priorities included the conclusion of the legislative acts regarding the CAP reform, the organic farming action plan, animal welfare, the ‘End the Cage Age’ EU citizens’ initiative and trade issues. With the CAP vote having reached an agreement and being adopted, important work must continue in order to keep moving these strategies forward as European farmers stand ready to assist and work towards a more durable farming.

19.07.2021 #STATEMENT

Statement on European Forestry Strategy

The European Forestry Strategy published today by the European Commission leaves many EU foresters and forest owners wondering whether the real needs of the sector and their realities on the ground have been completely disregarded. This is only two weeks after the release of the long-term vision for the EU's rural areas that emphasized the need to better listen to rural communities!

16.07.2021 #STATEMENT

The new EU Forest Strategy – putting European forest owners’commitment at stake

Today, the European Commission published its EU Forest Strategy for 2030. Despite some improvements, the text adopted does not succeed in re-balancing the previous versions of the text that have already caused controversy. The strategy puts European forest owners’ commitment at stake, as it does not strike a balance between the various functions of forests, between risks and opportunities, and lacks comprehensive concrete actions to support the forest sector.

16.07.2021 #JOINT STATEMENT

Fit for 55 – EU Commission’s objective is clear, the way to achieve it in agriculture and forestry much less so

Under the title "Fit for 55", the EU Commission proposes the launch and revision of no less than twelve policy initiatives today. Copa and Cogeca share the objective of achieving carbon neutrality as soon as possible in all sectors; agriculture and forestry being key players. However, the way to reach this very ambitious objective is another issue and EU farming organisations will remain vigilant on many points featured in the package.

14.07.2021 #PRESS RELEASE

Joint Statement from the Agri-Food Sector on the Revision of the Promotion Policy and the Draft 2022 Annual Work Programme

In the context of the revision of the EU Promotion Policy and the ongoing discussions on the draft 2022 Annual Work Programme, the undersigned agri-food sector organisations, which are part of the Civil Dialogue Group on Promotion and Quality, would like to share their common vision on those two important files for the sector…

12.07.2021 #JOINT STATEMENT

Prior to the CAP agreement, the European farmers’ confidence index showed a slight but promising increase in 2021

The European farmers’ confidence survey was carried out in seven EU Member States and the UK, and saw a tendency for a slight increase after autumn 2020. However, while the results of the survey show a bit more optimism for the future, they vary across and within countries and even where the sentiment had improved significantly it still remained in the negative spectrum.

09.07.2021 #PRESS RELEASE

Joint call for action on Fit for 55 package from the Renewable & Low-Carbon Liquid Fuels Platform

The European Commission’s Fit for 55 Package promises a bold new era in the fight against climate change, with proposed regulations to enable a 55% GHG emissions reduction target for 2030 and set the EU on course to achieve carbon-neutrality by 2050.

08.07.2021 #JOINT STATEMENT

Draft Renewable Energy Directive Revision: Improper Sustainability Framework for Forest Biomass Could Challenge the EU’s Renewable Energy Ambitions and Harm the Rural Economy

In order to facilitate a smooth transition to a climate neutral economy, it is crucial that the European Union continues to foster a positive regulatory framework for technologies and practices that are enabling the green transition, including bioenergy which today accounts for 57,3% of renewable energy and 11,4% of overall energy consumption in the EU27...

06.07.2021 #JOINT STATEMENT

Copa and Cogeca forecast higher cereal and oilseed harvests this year

After a complicated year in 2020 throughout Europe, Copa and Cogeca is forecasting better results for the 2021 harvest. For cereals, the total EU-27 production should be about 3.8% above the 5 year trimmed average with around 292.45 million tonnes, while for oilseeds, EU production could reach the threshold of 30 million tonnes, 1.6% above the 5 year trimmed average.

05.07.2021 #PRESS RELEASE

The results of the 5th European Award for Cooperative Innovation are out - 6 projects on sustainability awarded!

More than 100 agricultural and forestry cooperatives participated in the 5th edition of the European Award for Cooperative Innovation; a record. The award, organised by Cogeca and supported by the Spanish cooperative bank Cajamar Caja Rural, aims to recognise innovations that deliver value under the economic, social and environmental pillars of sustainability. The number and the quality of submissions from across Europe confirm that agricultural transitions are underway in all domains, driven by the cooperative enterprises.

02.07.2021 #PRESS RELEASE

Organic action plan - Turning ambition into action, Copa and Cogeca makes its proposals

Last March, Copa and Cogeca welcomed the general principles proposed by the European Commission in its action plan for organic farming. In order to reach the target of 25% of land cultivated according to organic farming principles, a clear direction and concrete options for farmers will have to be discussed more precisely. Copa and Cogeca released a position paper today on the three axes of the strategy, giving its thoughts on the way forward.

01.07.2021 #PRESS RELEASE

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Jean-François Bléchet - Crop Producer (France) - #DumpTheAntidumping

Farmer members of Copa-Cogeca started the hashtag #DumpTheAntidumping on social media to ask the European Commission to reopen the investigation; that is the only solution to end these anti-dumping taxes.

Cédric Benoist - Crop Producer (France) - #DumpTheAntidumping

Farmer members of Copa-Cogeca started the hashtag #DumpTheAntidumping on social media to ask the European Commission to reopen the investigation; that is the only solution to end these anti-dumping taxes.

Feedback on the UNFSS Pre-Summit

Christiane Lambert, President of Copa, gives feedback on the UNFSS Pre-Summit that took place from the 26 - 28 July.

LIVESTOCK - THE 9 FARM TO FORK PARADOXES

The EU Farm to Fork strategy is high in ambition, but Europe’s livestock sector fears it does not really take into consideration its farming traditions and the huge progress already achieved. EU livestock farmers are committed actors of change for increased sustainability, but they believe that the Farm to Fork approach is based on erroneous preconceptions. European Livestock Voice and the Italian sustainable meat project, Carni Sostenibili have identified a number of paradoxes in a series of short videos.


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