Europe's farmers are combined: The new association for agricultural interests founded!

Europe's farmers are combined: The new association for agricultural interests founded!

AT - On April 10, 2025, the establishment of a European Farmers' Association within the European People's Party (EPP) will be sought. This new committee is intended to ensure uniform representation of agricultural interests in the EU. According to the initiators, Paul Nemecek, the director of the farmers' association, and Alexander Bernhuber, a member of the EU Parliament, basic discussions have already been held with Manfred Weber, the EPP chairman. The aim is to put the challenges of agriculture at the center of European politics.

The planned farmers' association is expected to be a vote for the approximately 10 million farms in the EU. On the other hand, topics such as increasing production costs, bureaucracy, unfair trade conditions and the pressure of environmental NGOs are the focus. In particular, a stricter control framework for food imports is required to ensure that only products that meet EU standards come into the market. A concrete example of the problem is the import of potatoes from Egypt, which contain forbidden pesticides.

challenges of agriculture

The situation of farmers is tense and they demand more political support at European level. As the common agricultural policy (GAP) reports, which came into force on January 1, 2023, the support for farmers and interests in rural areas is a central component of agricultural policy in the 27 EU countries. The GAP is designed to support the goals of the European Green Deal, the strategy "from the farm to the table" and the biodiversity strategy.

The GAP particularly stood out that farmers' income is around 40 % lower than in non-agricultural activities. In addition, there is a stronger dependence on the weather conditions and climate as well as a time delay between consumer demand and agricultural delivery. A central concern of the GAP is to support farmers, to operate cost -effective and sustainably in order to obtain floors and biodiversity.

measures and support from the GAP

The GAP includes various measures to strengthen agriculture and stabilize the market. These include:

• income support from direct payments for environmentally friendly agriculture and public goods.
• market measures to compensate for difficult market situations.
• programs for the development of rural areas.

The funding of the GAP is via two funds as part of the EU household, whereby the payments are managed nationally and information about the recipient is published. The GAP currently supports around 10 million farms in the EU and creates almost 40 million jobs in agriculture and food industry.

The public sector plays a crucial role when it comes to giving farmers with support in terms of entrepreneurial uncertainties and environmental impact. Through regular consultations with groups for civil dialogue and agricultural committees, the perception of the GAP among the citizens is evaluated, including by Eurobarometer surveys that give valuable insights.

Overall, European agriculture faces major challenges, and the establishment of a European Farmers' Association could be the first step towards a stronger, uniform voice for agricultural issues within the EU