A small group of farmers, joined by political speakers and allies from the European Parliament, assembled in Brussels on May 20 to protest against proposed reforms to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) beginning in 2027.
Brussels plans to give EU member states greater control over their own farming budgets, but farmers believe the move will hurt both them and the agriculture sector.
Farmers and their representatives argued that the proposed changes will turn out to be cuts.
At stake is not just farming, but the foundations of European sovereignty, food security, and economic stability, speakers outside the European Commission’s Justus Lipsius building said during a May 20 flash action.
Flemish Agriculture Minister Jo Brouns, a Christian Democrat, told Brussels Signal at the protest it was important for farmers in Europe and Flanders to show they had the support of the government.
“There is now way there will be a lower budget for our farmers”, Brouns said.
“At a moment in time when we are facing incredible pressure on the European strategic autonomy, we need to be resolute about this,” he added.
“We must prioritise self-sufficiency in meeting our basic needs, and food is absolutely crucial in that regard”, said Brouns.
“Now it’s a matter of putting your money where your mouth is — and it simply cannot be the case that the agricultural budget is diluted across various pots. The farming budget must be reserved exclusively for those who work, day in and day out, to ensure our food production,” he said.
While the Commission presented its proposed changes as a move toward flexibility and rationalisation, farmers fear they will fragment the single market and undermine needed funds vital for ensuring a coherent agricultural policy across the Union.
They stressed farming cannot be left to chance or a patchwork of national agendas, and that a strong CAP budget was needed to maintain a unified, resilient Europe.
Speakers from across the EU shared their concerns, and argued the CAP reforms were not a regional issue but a potential European crisis.
Cereal growers in France, Polish dairy farmers in Poland, and Dutch horticulturalists all argued farming was at the heart of everything, and without sustainable agriculture and horticulture, the future of the European continent was in peril.
Climate policies, inflation, global instability, and geopolitical tensions all currently threaten European food systems, said the speakers.
One highlighted the US recently was unable to produce sufficient eggs, showing how fragile food production can be, and that the farming sector should not be taken for granted.
“We cannot afford to gamble on agriculture — because in a house of cards without food security, no other security stands,” the speaker said.
The current proposal ignores the strategic role of agriculture, they said.
“Farmers are not just food producers”, said a speaker, “they are guardians of the land, climate actors, and key to Europe’s autonomy. No farmers, no food. No green energy and no strategic autonomy”.
“Without a functioning agricultural base, dreams of green transitions and energy independence collapse,” the speaker continued.
Europe needs to stop catering to corporations down the chain that profit, while closer to home farmers go bankrupt, said the organisers.
With inflation squeezing farmers’ margins, the farmers said the CAP should include an inflation adaptation mechanism to protect producers.
The CAP issue, several speakers added, was about European sovereignty and about safeguarding the people who feed everyone, who work the land, and thus hold the keys to a stable, prosperous, and secure continent.
