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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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FRUIT AND VEGETABLES WORKING PARTY

Congratulations to Luc Vanoirbeek (Boerenbond) who was re-elected as Chair during the meeting of the Working Party for Fruit and Vegetables on 30th September! Congratulations also to Nazario Battelli (Cia Agricoltori Italiani) and Alessandro Dalpiaz (Alleanza Cooperative Italiane) for being elected as Vice-Chairs! The main priorities going forward are continuing to defend EU production so it is durable and maintaining the competitiveness of fruits, vegetables and producer organisations.

04/10/2021

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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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COGECA BUSINESS FORUM – International agri-cooperatives on building resilient and sustainable global food supply chains

The Cogeca Presidency held its traditional Business Forum today, gathering representatives of international agri-food cooperatives to discuss the role of their cooperatives in building “Resilient and Sustainable Global Food Supply Chains”. Reflecting above all on the pass year, and assessing the situations and pressures created by the COVID-19 pandemic, agri-cooperative representatives focused on the future outlooks of economic, trade and regulatory developments that directly influence the competitiveness of agri-food cooperative enterprises across the world.

06.10.2021 #PRESS RELEASE

European forest owners and managers call for major clarifications on the new EU Forest Strategy

“The new EU Forest Strategy for 2030 needs clear objectives and feasible coherent actions” was the message of forest owners and managers to the EU policy makers from the European Forest Owners’ Conference. The conference, organised on 4 October 2021 in Vienna, brought together European and national forest owners’ organisations, state forest organisations and MEPs to discuss and exchange on the new EU Forest Strategy. During the conference CEPF, EUSTAFOR, Copa-Cogeca, ELO, USSE and FECOF presented a joint position on the new strategy which echoes the concerns raised in Vienna.

05.10.2021 #JOINT PRESS RELEASE

METHANE STRATEGY– After the Farm to Fork debate, the European Parliament proposes a new binding target that will weigh down its livestock sector

Yesterday, the ENVI Committee of the European Parliament adopted its report on the Commission's Methane Strategy. While Copa and Cogeca support many of the adopted amendments, we regret that once again the debate focused on "binding targets and measures" as the only solution. Recent studies on Farm to Fork have clearly demonstrated that targets neither envisage the necessary means or tools nor capture complex trade-offs. Adding to existing targets, the ENVI Committee’s proposal could further damage EU livestock and threaten food security, while unavoidably creating carbon leakage to third countries.

30.09.2021 #STATEMENT

UNFSS – Forward-looking commitments must acknowledge the central role of farmers and producers

The United Nations Food Systems Summit kicked off today in New York, marking a key moment in defining the commitments of countries and stakeholders for the future of our food systems. While the COVID-19 pandemic has limited the main event of the Summit to an online exchange, the preparation has taken months. Copa and Cogeca, together with other farmers and producer representatives, has contributed to the preparatory works, aiming for the voice of European farmers and cooperatives to be well reflected in some of the key debates and outcomes.

23.09.2021 #STATEMENT

Copa and Cogeca forecasts a historically low wine harvest for 2021/2022

After a year of challenging climatic conditions in southern Europe, the 2021/22 wine harvest is forecasted to be significantly lower and shorter compared to the previous marketing year. Wine production in the three major producing countries, Italy, France and Spain is estimated to range from around 117.3 million hectolitres (hl); an 18% drop from 2020/21. In addition to the spring frosts which decimated approximately 30% of the cultivations in France and northern Italy, hail, droughts and diseases have further accentuated the losses. Notwithstanding the variability and the uncertain climatic conditions, the quality of the grapes is considerably higher and bodes well for quality wines.

20.09.2021 #PRESS RELEASE

How many more studies on the impact of the Farm to Fork Strategy are needed before a real debate starts in Brussels?

Earlier this week a new study on the possible consequences of the implementation of the Farm to Fork Strategy (F2F) was published by the University of Kiel (DE) . One more report that confirms the massive consequences that the Commission's flagship strategy could have on our EU food production, our farms, and the cohesion of our rural areas. Confirming a JRC technical report very discretely released during mid-summer, this new study also highlights the massive carbon leakage that could result from the target-oriented approach of F2F, leading the authors to say that ‘The F2F Strategy is not effective against climate change!’

17.09.2021 #PRESS RELEASE

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-Cogeca TV

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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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