Press release

Brussels, January 12, 2017

The debate on the post-2020 CAP has started; the President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Junker acknowledged the importance of a European Agricultural Policy, the European Commissioner for Agriculture Phil Hogan announced a reform under the banner of “modernization and simplification” and the forthcoming launch of a broad public consultation.

Today, the European Coordination Via Campesina will present the basis for its engagement in the debate for the future CAP, in order to set up an Agricultural and Food Policy that truly answers the needs of the European peoples and that shows the human and responsible face of Europe.

Contacts:

Jose-Miguel Pacheco tel +351 918736441 (PT-ES)

Geneviève Savigny +336 25 55 16 87 (FR – EN)

We want agriculture for Life!

We want Agriculture and Food Policy serving the needs of the people!

The Common Agricultural Policy was designed in the early 1960s to ensure the food security of European populations by providing farmers with decent prices and income, while maintaining reasonable prices for consumers, through mechanisms of intervention on the markets of agricultural commodities.

Through the reforms, the CAP has abandoned its feeding function to fit – and promote economic globalization. It will come down to an inequitable distribution of grants related to areas to offset prices disconnected from production costs. Many farms have disappeared. Environmental measures fail to reduce pesticide use and biodiversity is eroding.

Meanwhile, industrial food has developed with a lot of health problems, the consumer often does not have the choice of his*her food anymore, and millions of poor people do not have access to healthy and sufficient food in Europe today.

We need a different CAP based on human rights and addressing the needs of people today and for generations to come.

13 key points to change the CAP:

The primary objective of the CAP is to provide food security and sovereignty of the European peoples, developing food sovereignty across the territories.
Numerous farmers in all European territories will ensure food production in quantity and quality.
All producers must and have the opportunity to engage in steps to a healthier and environmentally friendly production and public support should enable the transition for all.
To secure their business sustainably, producers are entitled to a decent income, based primarily on fair prices (which allow living without assistance for a majority of farms, outside of investment and transition needs).
Public regulation instruments of the market and productions, such as quotas or other, must be used pragmatically to adjust supply and demand.
The treaties of so-called “free trade” (FTAs) that have already been signed should be reviewed, and those FTAs on the process of being ratified or negotiated should be suspended.
Promote the development of strong local and regional markets, open to all producers, and the adoption of appropriate standards for small volumes and reduced staffing. Promote local procurement for public canteens and catering.
Mutual insurance tools for all producers should be able to cover climate or health risks.
Public support should be dedicated to public goods: employment, maintenance of family farming in disadvantaged areas, installation of new farmers, food quality, biodiversity protection, water, climate.
The EU should develop an active policy of installing farmers and breeders for generational renewal and vitality of rural areas.
Public support is required to respect human rights, the environment and the welfare of animals. The social conditionality of aid must be based on the respect of the labour and social rights of rural wage workers, decent incomes and the non-discrimination of migrant seasonal workers and their families. No support should be given to industrial agriculture.
Increase the role of citizens in agricultural and food policies, on local (in the form of local food councils), national and European level.
Innovation should be comprehended and guided as a key process in the preservation of small-scale and family agriculture, and to build a model of agricultural and food production that is socially just, sustainable and healthy. The research funds should be, therefore, directed towards these innovation models for small-scale and family agriculture.