Von der Leyen promises fair income for farmers in bid for second term as Commission president

Ursula von der Leyen pledged to guarantee a fair income for European farmers in her address to the European Parliament on Thursday (18 July), dealing with one of the main demands emerging from the protests that swept across the EU in early 2024.

The incumbent European Commission president delivered a speech to convince members of the European Parliament (MEPs) to endorse her for a second term at the helm of the EU executive, dedicating a portion to the agri-food sector.

She stressed farmers “should not be forced” to sell their “good food” below production costs.

Von der Leyen, however, did not go into details on how she would honour such a commitment.  The Commission promised in March to analyse the implementation of the EU’s rules on unfair trading practices (UTPs) and increase transparency in the food chain in response to farmers’ demonstrations.

“We must strengthen the position of farmers in the food chain; they need to have access to more capital,” she added, referring to the weak bargaining power of agricultural producers vis-a-vis large buyers.

The UTPs directive is implemented differently across member states, with some enforcing stricter rules than others. For instance, Spain’s food chain law has a clause prohibiting sales at a loss. 

French President Emmanuel Macron had also hinted at introducing minimum prices during the worst of the farmers’ protests, a measure that his own agriculture minister had slammed months earlier as “demagogic.”

However, agricultural economists have shown scepticism about establishing floor prices, noting these are not the silver bullet to fix the issue of farmers’ retribution.

The future remains uncertain

Von der Leyen declared that her promises on the future of farming will become more specific during the first 100 days of her mandate, when her new Commission will unveil a “Vision for Agriculture and Food,” as stated in her political guidelines for the next term. 

“I will present a Vision for Agriculture and Food in the first 100 days looking at how to ensure the long-term competitiveness and sustainability of our farming sector within the boundaries of our planet,” reads the document.

The vision will be based on the outcome of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture, an initiative launched in January 2024 that gathers representatives from the entire food chain, NGOs and academic experts around the same table.

The German politician only mentioned ‘nature’ once during her speech, and that was to refer to the compensation farmers should receive for managing it sustainably.

Currently, farmers can receive payments under the eco-schemes of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), for adopting voluntary environmental-friendly farming measures.

“Anyone who manages nature and biodiversity in a sustainable way and helps to balance the carbon budget must be properly rewarded,” said von der Leyen.

“Our farmers shape our landscapes; they shape the face of Europe; they are part of our culture; they provide food security,” she said.

Her promises, however, on sustainability were small. The candidate did refer to the “devastating effects” of climate change on fields and forests, noting that farmers are increasingly impacted by extreme weather and water scarcity.

To tackle this issue, she announced the future Commission will present, “a plan for agriculture to address the need to adapt to climate change.” She also vowed to unveil a strategy for sustainable water management. 

“Not only our food security depends on it, but also our overall competitiveness,” von der Leyen emphasised.

*This story will be updated.

*Maria Simon Arboleas contributed to this article

[Edited by Angelo Di Mambro and Rajnish Singh]

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