The presidents of Copa and Cogeca, Massimiliano Giansanti and Lennart Nilsson respectively, have called on the EU to take urgent measures to prevent a food “inflation shock” and to strengthen the resilience of the agricultural sector, during a meeting with EU agriculture ministers held on 4 May.
At the meeting, the presidents of Copa and Cogeca reminded European representatives that both the EU’s food security and the resilience of its agricultural sector are at risk, and therefore urged the European Union to take decisive action.
These statements were made in the wake of the persistent geopolitical tension in the Middle East, which is affecting farmers and agricultural cooperatives in the European Union, who are facing increasing pressure on costs, markets and supply chains, in an already fragile situation.
According to Copa-Cogeca, “since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, fertiliser prices have remained structurally high. Now, the crisis in the Middle East is driving up the costs of energy, fuel, feed, packaging and logistics, further undermining the viability of agricultural holdings”.
Copa President Massimiliano Giansanti warned that “without agriculture there is no stability” and explained that producers feel squeezed between “high costs, fragile markets and external economic shocks”.
He added that “if Europe fails to take action now, the consequences will be devastating not only for farms, but also for consumers. A food crisis is looming and we cannot afford to wait”.
“Insufficient” responses
Copa-Cogeca welcomes and appreciates the EU’s initial responses, such as the temporary framework for the energy crisis and the “Accelerate EU” plan, although it considers these measures to be “insufficient”. “The European Union must look to the future with the aim of ensuring the continuity of agricultural production and safeguarding food security and stability. The EU Action Plan on fertilisers must propose robust and comprehensive measures to provide short-, medium- and long-term solutions,” they warned.
They also pointed out that farmers and cooperatives are facing greater climate and market risks, and must therefore be provided with the appropriate resources.
Lennart Nilsson, president of Cogeca, stated: “The European Union must act with determination, ambition and unity, if it does not want to risk paying a much higher price tomorrow.”
