AN(12)6751:1 SM

3rd October 2012

Budapest, Hungary

Declaration of European Farmers at their 2012 Congress

In a world of increasing uncertainty and volatility on world markets, the need for Europe to have
a strong agricultural sector is more important than ever. EU farmers, men and women, and their
cooperatives have the potential not only provide food security and stable prices to the 500 million
consumers but also contribute to economic growth and employment, help combat climate change
and continue to provide a wide range of rural services.
For this to happen farmers need to have a more profitable and sounder economic situation. They
need to have greater stability so that they can make long-term plans and invest. And they need
access to new techniques and new markets so that they can better cope with climate change and
make the most of Europes production capacity.
A strong CAP, backed by a strong budget, must set us on this path. The future CAP should:

assist farmers to obtain their fair and rightful share of the food value chain in return for
their on-farm value added by increasing transparency, banning unfair commercial practices
and encouraging producer organisations, in particular cooperatives
limit greening measures to those which do not have a negative impact on production
capacity or costs
put new emphasis on achieving green growth on farms through solutions which benefit
both farmers productive capacity, productivity and efficiency as well as the environment
and climate change
develop research and innovation and ensure a more joined-up approach between farmers,
advisors and researchers
develop the new opportunities offered by the bio-based industry and tackle the current
bottlenecks in the supply value chain
ensure a balanced and stable biofuels policy which takes into account the benefits not only
for climate change but also in reducing EU dependence on protein feed imports as well as
energy imports
provide better market and risk management and more market intelligence and coherence to
help farmers cope with increasing volatility and crises on world markets
encourage new business initiatives in rural areas and ensure that women play a more
integrated role in business development
develop cooperative enterprise initiatives to improve farmers returns in the face of more
international competition
provide a stable policy framework so that farmers, including young farmers, can make longterm plans and investments no U-turns
Copa-Cogeca calls upon the Council, the European Parliament and the European Commission to
take the opportunity offered by this reform of the CAP to implement these measures. There will
be no agricultural sector in Europe if we cannot attract future generations into farming. Above all
we need farming to be a profitable business opportunity with long-term prospects.

Copa - Cogeca | European Farmers European Agri-Cooperatives

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