Gajdos: European Farmers Protest in EU Because They Don't See Any Changes

Brussels/Bratislava, 18 December (TASR-correspondent) - Farmers turned out in large numbers in Brussels to show that real change is needed at the European level, said Andrej Gajdos, head of the Slovak Agricultural and Food Chamber (SPPK), during Thursday's protests in the Belgian capital. A TASR special correspondent in Brussels reported this. Gajdos recalled that around 10,000 farmers from 26 EU member states arrived in Brussels, where a two-day EU summit is taking place. City streets were flooded with 600 to 700 pieces of heavy machinery, mostly tractors. More than 40 farmers' professional organisations took part in the protest under the umbrella association Copa-Cogeca. "The reason is simple. It is the multiannual financial framework and the future Common Agricultural Policy, where cuts are being made in agriculture and food production, funds for farmers are being abolished and a super-fund is being created, where we will have to compete with other ministries for money. We do not agree with this," Gajdos explained the reasons for the protests in Brussels. Another reason is the ongoing negotiations by the European Commission with third countries and the import of agricultural goods and food, for example from Mercosur countries, which produce food to much lower standards than Europeans, making EU farmers unable to compete. A third reason for the strike is what Gajdos described as excessive EU regulations created in a top-down and out-of-touch manner in Brussels rather than on farms, where they should originate so that farmers can manage them in practice. The Slovak delegation did not come to protest with tractors, Gajdos admitted, as this would be quite complicated. However, besides Belgian and French machines, one farmer from Sweden also arrived in Brussels by tractor, having travelled 1,400 kilometres in 36 hours. As part of the European farmers' delegation, Gajdos had meetings scheduled in the afternoon with EU commissioners for agriculture, budget, trade and climate. Asked by TASR how he views this week's agreement by EU institutions on safeguard measures within the EU-Mercosur free trade agreement, intended to protect European farmers' interests, Gajdos said farmers do not see it positively. EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic described the agreement on Wednesday (17 December) as good news for farmers. "We do not see it that positively, not at all. We demand that agriculture be excluded from this agreement. Such empty reassurances do not work on us," Gajdos said. EU Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen visited Slovakia in November, where he also met representatives of the agricultural sector and had the opportunity to explain the principles of the future EU Common Agricultural Policy and the preparation of the future long-term budget, which favours smaller and young farmers. "We have no problem with supporting small farmers. We have a problem with the fact that overall financial resources are being cut by half after accounting for inflation, while the demands placed on us are higher. Nothing has moved forward yet, and we have been hearing these words from Commissioner Hansen and the European Commission for over a year. No change has occurred so far. That is why we were forced to take to the streets and show that we are serious and that we truly need change," Gajdos added. mf