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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Dear members, colleagues and friends, thank you for your continued collaboration towards our work in 2021! We look forward to making 2022 a truly great year for EU farmers and agri-cooperatives with your help and input! We wish you happy holidays and a festive New Year with your loved ones!
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.
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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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The issue of large carnivores and the damage they inflict upon farmers’ livelihoods has been the subject of political debate since the first encounter between predators and livestock farmers. However, despite all the efforts of farmers and the measures put in place by the authorities of the countries concerned in the European Union, the strict protection status of large carnivores renders the measures ineffective, and the actions taken in the context of the debate with a view to establishing harmonious coexistence between humans and wild predators insufficient.
As 2021 comes to an end, it will soon be time to make a toast for the New Year. It is also time for some reflection on past events and defining the direction for 2022. I am seizing this opportunity to take a closer look at one of the most festive agricultural products: wine.
The European Commission unveiled today the long-awaited communication on “restoring sustainable carbon cycles” (the so-called carbon farming communication), which will be followed by a legislative proposal on carbon removal certification by the end of 2022. Copa and Cogeca welcome the inclusion of carbon farming in the political agenda and future developments to capitalize agriculture’s potential to fight climate change and achieve a greener Europe.
On 7 December sector associations from European Livestock Voice invited EVP Timmermans to visit a beef and dairy farm in the Wallonia region of Belgium. The visit organised in cooperation with local farming Union FWA, was a great opportunity for EVP Timmermans to engage in a direct and open discussion with livestock farmers on the Green Deal objectives. It was also a first step in opening an action-oriented dialogue between the Commission EVP and EU representatives of the livestock value chain on the future developments of the Farm to Fork strategy. The European livestock sector has been investing in making improvements for many years now with measurable outcomes in many areas. With best-in-class standards of animal health and welfare and among the lowest global livestock emissions, high standards on environment, the sector does not shy away from continuing to adapt to meet increasing demands. All representatives of the European livestock sector agree on the fact that more needs to be done to meet social, environmental, and animal welfare challenges. But no one should be left behind.
European forest owners and managers welcome the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) Opinion on the EU Forest Strategy for 2030 adopted today. The Opinion draws conclusions similar to those expressed by the forest sector and Member States in the European Council. It underlines the necessity for a holistic and balanced approach to forests and their management as well as the key role of European forest owners and managers in the Strategy.
Following the outcome of the vote in the ANIT Committee of the European Parliament on the Draft Report and Recommendation following the ‘investigation of alleged contraventions and maladministration in the application of Union law in relation to the protection of animals during transport within and outside the Union’, Copa and Cogeca welcome the initiative to review the current legislation on animal transport. There is a need for a revision after 16 years since it was first approved and a science-based update may further guarantee a harmonised enforcement and implementation of the Regulation 1/2005 across the Member States. However, the result of the vote, especially on the Report, is quite disappointing and worrying for EU farmers, as most of its content is not sufficiently referenced nor backed by solid scientific evidence. This limits the room of manoeuver for further nuancing the Recommendation when voted in the Plenary in January 2022 and may end up damaging the sector, basing the outcome more on emotions rather than facts.
Once again, 2021 will be another dramatic year for the sector, with an estimated 10/15% production loss compared to 2020 – having already been a poor year for harvests. Extreme weather events have substantially reduced flowering and flying periods of bees; thus, strongly affecting productions. Meanwhile imports are still growing, and if European consumers cannot see this on the shelves, it is because the origin display remains structurally deficient. Copa and Cogeca welcome the announcement by the Commission on the revision of the Honey Directive and ask for rapid changes especially on market transparency.
After more than three years of complex negotiations, Copa and Cogeca welcome the timely adoption by the European Parliament on the future CAP. With around 70% of the votes being in favour on the three regulations of the future CAP, the EU Parliament gives a final confirmation to the compromise found in the trilogues earlier in June. Still, this vote does not mark an end as there are several key steps to be taken before this new CAP becomes operational. Many uncertainties remain on the calendar, on the coherence and the implementation, both at EU and national level.
For several months, Copa and Cogeca have been questioning the usefulness of the anti-dumping measures applied at European level on UAN fertilisers. With record prices this winter, and the situation becoming increasingly untenable at farm level, DG Trade has decided to open an investigation on the actual impact on those anti-dumping duties. Copa and Cogeca welcome this first step which could lead to the removal of anti-dumping taxes and ask the European Commission to act swiftly.
Today the European Commission released a new strategy focused on achieving good soil health by 2030. Soil conservation is at the heart of many farmers work and initiatives, regardless of the production methods; conventional or organic. At European level, a large set of EU policies are already directly and indirectly affecting soil health and are addressing the hazards associated with this highly precious natural resource. Among others, the CAP, the Water Framework Directive, the Nitrates Directive, the Sustainable Use of Pesticides Directive, and the Nature Directives are some examples. That is why, at this stage, Copa and Cogeca expect more clarification on how the inclusion of new measures, such as the Soil Health Law, will add to the already existing set of tools, providing comprehensive and concrete means of action for farmers and agri-cooperatives. To be effective, the last thing that the EU farming community needs is a new administrative layer.
Following today’s publication of the Proposal for a Regulation on deforestation-free products, Copa and Cogeca support the Commission’s work to fight deforestation in line with the Green Deal ambitions. It is essential for the European farming sector that the EU’s political ambition on this topic is fully in line with the ambitions on fair trade and fair competition and with the current legislation.
European forest owners and managers welcome the Council Conclusions adopted today on the EU Forest Strategy for 2030 and fully share the concerns expressed by the Members States. These Conclusions make important requests to the European Commission with regards to actions proposed in the Strategy and a clear call to truly involve and listen to Member States and those who take care of our forests on a daily basis.
The European Commission issues today an important Communication on its vision of the lessons learned from the Covid crisis in terms of food security, and its solutions in a landscape associated with higher risks. Copa and Cogeca broadly agree with the Commission's assessment and welcome the institutional response proposed by the Commission to set up a Security Crisis preparedness and response Mechanism (EFSCM) to better coordinate response to crisis in the food supply chain. Nevertheless, on European vulnerabilities and dependence identified by the Commission, the solutions offered in the Farm to Fork strategy remain unclear.
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Following Copa and Cogeca’s initial harvest forecast issued in September, the updated data at the end of the harvesting period shows that the predictions were confirmed: yields have dropped considerably. On the positive side of this harvest is the excellent quality of the wines produced. The 2021/22 harvest estimates were presented during the annual Copa-Cogeca Wine harvest event titled “Taking stock of market and consumer trends – The way ahead”.
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In the context of the legislative procedure of the CAP Reform, the role of COGECA together with COPA had been essential to make the European Institutions aware of the importance of this Policy and of the view of 12 million European farmers and their agri-cooperatives.
Copa and Cogeca welcome the opening of the COP26 in Glasgow, a global meeting centered around the commitments taken under the Paris Agreement at COP21. Having been an active participant in and supporter of the Agreement, Copa and Cogeca are glad to join this meeting to continue the work. Since the agriculture and forestry sectors are key for reaching the ambitious climate change goals set out in the Paris Agreement; Copa and Cogeca wish there would have been a greater focus on these essential sectors at COP26.
On Thursday 21st October 2021, the Federation for Education in Europe (FEDE) and the Employers’ Group of Professional Agricultural Organisations in the European Union (Geopa-Copa) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Malmö, Sweden, to strengthen the cooperation of both organizations towards the common objective of determining the skills needed in the agricultural sector.
Today the AGRI Committee of the European Parliament endorsed its position on the implementation report concerning on-farm animal welfare with a large majority. Copa and Cogeca welcome the thorough work of consultation carried out by its rapporteur Jéremy Decerle (FR, Renew) which has resulted in an ambitious, balanced text focusing on the means and solutions to support the efforts undertaken by EU farmers on animal welfare.
Today, the European Parliament’s Plenary vote on the EU Methane Strategy took place. The strategy, which is of the upmost importance for the agricultural sector, calls for the reduction of methane emissions as part of the measures to combat climate change.
In 2020, the EU launched a set of communications on strategies for transitioning to a more sustainable food system. The two main strategies to achieve this goal are the Farm to Fork and the Biodiversity strategies, part of a greater agenda: the EU Green Deal.
Chairman of the WP for Wine; Mr Luca Rigotti (Mezzacorona) discusses the EU wine 2021 harvest and explains the importance of the wine sector, "The wine sector is vital for environmental, social and economic sustainability and plays an important role in our economy".
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