CETA threatens small and medium-scale livestock farms in Italy; the risks of further economic (and therefore decision-making) reinforcement of a single industrial group on the entire dairy sector; unfair competition among imported products, especially cereals; the impact on Italian products still certified “free from GMOs,” which may be contaminated by seeds and reproductive materials imported from Canada.
Free Trade Agreements
Farmers’ protests in Europe and the deadend of neoliberalism
Since the 1980s, various regulations that ensured fair prices for European farmers have been dismantled. The EU put all its faith in free trade agreements, which placed all the world’s farmers in competition with each other, encouraging them to produce at the lowest possible price at the cost of their own incomes and growing debt.
WTO is unfit for purpose in an era of multiple crises; It is time for an Alternative: Asian Civil Society
Members of La Via Campesina in Asia have joined a host of other civil society organizations and social movements to call out the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which is meeting in Abu Dhabi from 26-29 February 2024. The way forward for the South is a path outside of the WTO. An alternative is now more urgent than ever,.
Europe: ECVC puts forth concrete suggestions to guarantee fair prices to peasant farmers
In a press release issued on 27th February, the European Coordination Via Campesina demanded an obligation at the EU level to ensure prices paid to farmers cover the costs of production, including a decent income for the work of farmers and agricultural workers and their social security contributions. A new trade framework based on food sovereignty should be implemented.
26 February, Brussels: ECVC issues a call to mobilize against free trade agreements
From 26 to 29 February, the 13th WTO Ministerial Conference will also be held in Abu Dhabi. The WTO bears immense responsibility for the current social and environmental crises. It is time to bring an end to the WTO and build a new trade framework based on food sovereignty and international solidarity.
Korea: Peasant movements denounce tariff reductions, call for measures to enhance Food Sovereignty
Data from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reveals that Korea’s grain self-sufficiency rate dipped to 19.3 percent in 2020, marking the first time it fell below the 20-percent threshold. Contrastingly, this rate stood at 30.9 percent in 2000, indicating a significant shift towards grain imports, which now constitute 80 percent of domestic consumption.
Debt Crisis and Free Trade Agreements endanger Kenya’s food sovereignty: Kenyan Peasants League
In this audio excerpt, David Otieno from the Kenyan Peasants’ League, speaking at a seminar on Debt Crises, underscores this link by referencing the several Free Trade Agreements, which now permit cheap imports of pesticides, eggs and sugar. In January 2024, the KPL also became part of the opposition against the EU-Kenya Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA)
“FAO must defend the interests of small-scale food producers. Guaranteed prices for our produce!” MONLAR, Srilanka
MONLAR in Sri Lanka has called upon the national government to ensure guaranteed prices. This is particularly relevant in the context of the 13th Ministerial Meeting of the World Trade Organization, set to begin in Abu Dhabi next week, where such domestic support measures by developing countries often come under attack.
Rice imports lead farmers to bankruptcy, endangers food sovereignty: Serikat Petani Indonesia
Indonesia is in a dire situation as it becomes increasingly dependent on food imports. Especially for rice, the import of 3.3 million tons in 2023 was the largest rice import by the government in the last 25 years. Rice imports in 2023 increased by 613.61% compared to 2022.
26-29 February: La Via Campesina calls for a Week of Mobilization against the WTO
For more than a decade, the failure of this institution to reach a consensus on a lasting resolution for public food stocks clearly illustrates its alignment with the interests of the US, and other strong export-oriented countries. As the 13th Ministerial Meeting commences in Abu Dhabi on 26th February, La Via Campesina urges its members across countries to take to the streets and mobilize against the WTO.