Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-01-19-Speech-4-008-000"
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"en.20120119.3.4-008-000"2
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"Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, in September 2010, Parliament adopted the report by the Committee on Agriculture aimed at ensuring fair revenues for farmers. In doing so, it sent a clear message to the European Commission that it should restore the balance of power between farmers, on the one hand, and the processing and distribution industries, on the other.
However, the dependence of the European Union and farmers is not limited to oil and phosphates. Every year, we import 50 million tonnes of animal feed. These purchases on the global markets amount to USD 20 billion and this has a serious impact on our trade balance. We need to reduce our dependence by 70% by launching a far-reaching European programme for the production of plant protein: soya, lupins, broad beans, etc.
The 30% average increase in seed prices since 2000 also affects farmers’ incomes. This increase is due to the rising cost of certified seeds, which are sold by an ever-smaller number of large multinationals. However, it is also linked to the measures taken by a number of Member States to restrict the use of farm-saved seeds, which cost 40% less and which are produced and used by the farmers themselves.
Farmers are also affected by the cost of buying land and the cost of leasing land, which have soared in recent years. These phenomena are primarily due to urban sprawl, the monopolising of land for the production of biofuels and the race to expand, linked to the changes in the CAP.
The report calls for the introduction of a system to monitor land prices and appropriate measures to facilitate access to land for young people and those who wish to farm.
Finally, irrigation is essential in many parts of the European Union where the effects of global warming are already being felt. Concrete measures must be put in place as soon as possible to save and preserve this resource.
This report is thus very clearly part of the Europe 2020 strategy drawn up at the start of the parliamentary term and aims to offer a positive perspective for the European project in the light of the crises we are facing.
Farming is the EU’s largest integrated policy. We must not let the farmers fall by the wayside now. There can be no Europe without farmers!
The report that I am presenting to you today finalises the work that we have done by analysing the upstream farming sector. Farmers sell their products but they also buy or use numerous inputs, notably fertiliser, seeds and fuel. These inputs are generally sold to them by large multinationals that operate in an extremely concentrated environment that is lacking both transparency and competition. Farmers also need land and water to work.
On the one hand, the bills that farmers have to pay are rocketing while, at the same time, the prices at which they are selling their products are stagnating or even falling in certain cases. They are caught between a rock and a hard place.
The report that I am presenting to you today proposes concrete solutions to improve the economic situation of agricultural holdings and farmers’ incomes. Farmers must be supported through new agricultural development structures that will enable them to cope with future challenges, be they environmental, such as global warming, or economic, such as market booms, caused largely by speculation.
The measures envisaged by the CAP reform, proposed by the Commission and currently under discussion in Parliament, may, if applied effectively by the Member States, improve soil conservation, maintain agricultural biodiversity, and reduce soil and groundwater pollution. This agronomic development will reduce the quantities of synthetic fertilisers and pesticides used. At the same time, farmers will be able to retain a greater share of the added value generated by their work. This will have several consequences. It will help to consolidate farmers’ revenues, contribute to Europe’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the pollution of our water resources.
European agriculture uses more energy than it produces. Without oil, we would be unable to feed ourselves. What a paradox! Between 2000 and 2010, the price of fossil fuels rose by more than 60%, yet farmers are unable to reflect that increase in the prices of their products.
We would like to see considerable investment by the European Union in energy-saving projects. They should be based on several proposals: improving farming practices, by making them more autonomous, reducing transport between producers and consumers, by promoting the establishment of short marketing channels and the consumption of seasonal, local produce, strengthening autonomous energy production on farms, and restoring the balance between animal and plant production for coherent production areas, by encouraging agronomic practices such as crop rotation and grass-fed production.
In addition, the cost of fertiliser doubled in the same 10-year period, while the prices paid to farmers only rose by 25%. There are some efficient agronomic practices, however, notably crop rotation, which significantly reduce usage of these products and, in turn, result in a considerable reduction in both leaching, which pollutes groundwater, and nitrous oxide emissions.
Better crop techniques also lead to a decrease in the use of pesticides and herbicides by reducing the pressure from parasites and weeds. Wastewater and collected water are also a potential source of fertiliser, as long as adequate measures are taken to ensure the effective removal of potentially dangerous substances."@en1
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