{"id":1504238,"date":"2024-02-17T03:37:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-17T03:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenqueen.com.hk\/?p=71055"},"modified":"2024-02-17T03:37:00","modified_gmt":"2024-02-17T03:37:00","slug":"big-ag-vs-climate-change-are-farmers-really-protesting-against-the-eus-green-reforms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/2024\/02\/17\/big-ag-vs-climate-change-are-farmers-really-protesting-against-the-eus-green-reforms\/","title":{"rendered":"Big Ag vs Climate Change: Are Farmers Really Protesting Against the EU\u2019s Green Reforms?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"eu<\/div><\/span> 9<\/span> Mins Read<\/span><\/span>\n

Big agriculture and far-right parties set farmers against the environment, but producers on the ground in Brussels told a different story.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

By Rachel Sherrington<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Across France, Italy and Belgium last week thousands of farmers\u00a0descended on capital cities to express their deep discontent with the European food system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scenes were dramatic. Parked tractors brought traffic to a standstill in Paris, and on Thursday burning piles of hay and debris sent up huge, dark plumes of smoke in Brussels. The protests show no sign of slowing down and are\u00a0expected<\/a>\u00a0this week across Italy, Slovenia and Spain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Farmers\u2019 demonstrations have been\u00a0portrayed<\/a>\u00a0as a revolt against net zero, by the media and far-right groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the message received by governments \u2013 and they are acting on it. So far, the farmers have won key concessions, with the EU decision on Tuesday to\u00a0drop<\/a>\u00a0its plans to cut pesticide use, hot on the heels of the same\u00a0move<\/a>\u00a0by France on Friday, despite numbers of\u00a0birds<\/a>\u00a0and pollinators\u00a0plummeting<\/a>\u00a0in Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet the reality on the ground in Brussels last week was more mixed. While Europe\u2019s largest farming union,\u00a0Copa-Cogeca<\/a>,\u00a0paints<\/a>\u00a0environmental measures as an enemy to farmers\u2019 prosperity, an analysis by Carbon Brief has\u00a0found<\/a>\u00a0that a fifth of farmer concerns were not on green issues, relating instead to high production costs, food pricing and trade-related concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other\u00a0groups of farmers came out onto the streets of Brussels with a different message. They say the EU should see the protests as a sign to do more, not less, to protect the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are very clear that as farmers we want to take action to struggle against the climate crisis,\u201d said Morgan Ody, a farmer from Brittany who belongs to the European chapter of La Via Campesina (ECVC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ody travelled to Belgium with over a thousand farmers connected to Via Campesina \u2013 and other allied national smallholder farmer groups from Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and Germany \u2013 to protest last Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Via Campesina and its smallholder allies also insist that ambitious action to address climate breakdown and biodiversity loss must go hand in hand with tackling other farmer concerns \u2013 such as low pay. Difficult working conditions, they say, are also at the root of the frustrations of many who showed up to demonstrate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Big Agri vs EU Green Reform<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The position of Via Campesina stands in contrast to those of other powerful groups, which also attended the protest in Brussels and others across Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Copa-Cogeca, which enjoys\u00a0privileged<\/a>\u00a0access to many of the EU\u2019s key decision-makers, has taken an aggressive stance on EU sustainable farming policies proposed through the bloc\u2019s Farm to Fork. It has also undertaken lobbying to\u00a0derail<\/a>\u00a0key EU-wide measures such as a nature restoration law which was only\u00a0narrowly<\/a>\u00a0approved by EU lawmakers at the end of last year, full of loopholes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The group\u2019s political legitimacy has rested in part on a claim to represent 22 million farmers and their families across the EU, which a recent investigation from Lighthouse Reports\u00a0found<\/a>\u00a0to be exaggerated. Many smallholder farmers interviewed by Lighthouse Reports and others have said Copa-Cogeca does not represent them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Policy experts\u00a0say\u00a0<\/a>the farming system needs to become more sustainable to safeguard food production and address climate impacts. Intensive, industrial farming from larger operations currently drives much of the sector\u2019s emissions, as well as harming soils and causing a vertiginous fall in populations of bees, birds and butterflies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Copa-Cogeca\u2019s recent demands have included the rollback of an important environmental provision in the EU\u2019s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) \u2013 the subsidy scheme which supports European producers. The provision would require farmers to leave four percent of their land free for nature in order to protect and rebuild\u00a0biodiversity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This week, the EU announced it would\u00a0postpone<\/a>\u00a0the incoming CAP biodiversity clause, in concession to protests across the bloc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Friday, the French government\u00a0pledged<\/a>\u00a0to halt a measure to halve pesticide use by 2030, following\u00a0sustained<\/a>\u00a0lobbying from industry-aligned union\u00a0FNSEA<\/a>\u00a0on the measure over the last several years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tuesday\u2019s decision by the EU commission to\u00a0drop<\/a>\u00a0a bloc-wide measure aimed at slashing pesticide use was met with praise from a triumphant Copa-Cogeca, which, in a post on X (formerly Twitter)\u00a0called<\/a>\u00a0the regulation a \u201ctop-down proposal\u201d that was \u201cpoorly designed,\u201d but with\u00a0dismay<\/a>\u00a0from environmentalists who said the move would hurt farmers in the longer term.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"eu
Courtesy: Rachel Sherrington\/DeSmog<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Wage Worries<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was clear on the ground in Brussels on Thursday that the CAP debate was on farmer\u2019s minds. Copa-Cogeca affiliates and independent farmers both expressed frustrations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe don\u2019t have enough money to compensate for this four percent of the surface where we can\u2019t produce,\u201d said M\u00e9lanie Favereaux, from the F\u00e9deration des Jeunes Agriculteurs (FJA), which represents young farmers in Belgium and was responsible for some of the\u00a0blockades<\/a>\u00a0last week. She stressed that her worries did not stem from anti-environment sentiment but from income pressures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A representative from a powerful Italian regional group affiliated with Copa-Cogeca, Coldiretti, which has recently been accused <\/a>by smaller Italian farmers of betraying their interests, said her group would be pushing for the CAP measure to be withdrawn by the EU and not just postponed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ody, from Via Campesina, told DeSmog that small farmers also believe the CAP system should be reformed \u2013 but in a different way. She argues that the EU should bring in market regulation to ensure a minimum price and stable income for farmers, as was the case under the CAP until the subsidy system was reformed in 1992. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Via Campesina also argues that, rather than eliminate green rules, CAP grants should be redistributed better to the benefit of smaller, family-owned farms, which perform<\/a> better on biodiversity and productivity than larger operations, according to a 2021 global study.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Under current rules, the amount of CAP subsidies a farm receives is tied to its size. This means that the lion\u2019s share of EU\u2019s financial support goes to larger farms and landowners, with the biggest 20 percent of farms absorbing 80 percent of the CAP, a sum equal to around a third of the EU\u2019s annual budget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ody shares the income worries of Coldiretti and young farmer\u2019s group the FJA. But she insists that the CAP should be used to incentivise the transition to more climate friendly farming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are put into an impossible situation,\u201d said Ody, because \u201cto produce in an ecological way does come with a cost.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trade Trouble <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The EU\u2019s free trade agreements were another key concern in Brussels, highlighted by small and large-scale farmers alike, who feel European producers are forced to compete with cheap imports. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s right to talk about the climate,\u201d said a local producer from the Belgian municipality of Ath, who gave his name only as Jean. \u201cBut they shouldn\u2019t be targeting us, they should be looking at industry \u2013 and products that come in from abroad.\u201d

His concern about green measures principally stemmed from a sense of unfairness and double standards. \u201cImporting from Australia, I don\u2019t believe that can be as sustainable as they say,\u201d he said.

M\u00e9lanie Favereaux also brought up trade, arguing: \u201cWe are not against protecting the environment, but we think it\u2019s not fair if we import products from outside Europe and then they don\u2019t respect the environment like we do, for example by using pesticides we are not allowed to. It\u2019s difficult for us to survive in this environment.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belgian farmers\u2019 view that green reforms will make Europe dependent on imports that are produced to lower standards is an argument that has been consistently\u00a0pushed<\/a>\u00a0by the agribusiness lobby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pro-Green and Pro-Worker<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Ody said trade issues cut to the heart of the debate around the current crisis, but that it was not a reason to roll back green policies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is a contradiction between producing cheaply to be competitive on international markets on one side, and being asked to produce in an environmentally friendly way,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn Copa-Cogeca, faced with\u00a0this choice, they say okay, let\u2019s get rid of the environmental measures so that we can be competitive. And some farmers think okay, if we are obliged to compete in global competition, we can\u2019t have these rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut we at Via Campesina say \u2013 why do we continue to be obliged to compete at a global level? And that is the big divide between farmers\u2019 organisations currently in Europe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The EU is continuing to pursue trade agreements. It\u2019s currently in the final negotiating stages of a major new deal with Latin American countries such as Brazil.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ody says the trade system is ripe for reform. She points to an ongoing crisis at the WTO, the trade body that regulates trade agreements, which currently lacks sufficient judges to monitor its dispute settlement circuit due to the U.S.\u2019 refusal to nominate one under both Trump and Biden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Researchers have\u00a0pointed<\/a>\u00a0to this deadlock as a key development. They say it could usher in wider changes to how trade agreements work, and move the WTO away from the current liberalised regime that has reigned over many decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Via Campesina\u00a0is particularly concerned about EU-Mercosur, which Greenpeace Europe has\u00a0called<\/a>\u00a0\u201cnightmare for nature\u201d. Many smallholder farmers on both sides of the Atlantic\u00a0oppose<\/a>\u00a0the deal, which\u00a0was also brought up by farmers in Brussels last week. Favereaux told DeSmog\u00a0she saw it as unfair and \u201cdangerous\u201d for her business.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"big
Courtesy: Rachel Sherrington\/DeSmog<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

\u2018Far-Right\u2019 Farmers?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Much of the reporting on farmers protests across the EU has focussed on the actions of the far-right, which has tried to weaponise the protest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As protests in Germany kicked off in January, Deutsche Welle reported<\/a> on \u201cdeliberate attempts by right-wing extremists to use farmers\u2019 anger for their own ends,\u201d while others such as Politico and the Guardian have noted the same trend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Brussels, far-right activists were assembled alongside the farmers. There is some evidence<\/a> that a thinktank linked to Hungary\u2019s authoritarian leader Victor Orban has helped to orchestrate, and possibly finance, some of the action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elsewhere in Europe, in the Netherlands, far-right parties have capitalised on farmers\u2019 discontent to make electoral gains. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While Ody agreed there was a real \u201cdanger\u201d to the far-right co-opting farmers, she also emphasised that farmers were a very mixed group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe farming sector is like the rest of the society,\u201d she said. \u201cYou\u2019ve got 99 percent of the people who are working, trying to make a living, and they can be right-wing, left-wing, whatever,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ody\u2019s view was shared by Felipe van Keirsbilck, Secretary General of the Belgian workers\u2019 union CNE, who attended the protest to show workers\u2019 solidarity with small food producers. He called the crowd \u201creally divided, really mixed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Business Opportunists <\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The far right are not the only interests weighing in and capitalising on the unrest. A 2023 investigation by DeSmog showed how companies with a commercial interest in slowing moves to more nature-friendly farming have actively\u00a0sought<\/a>\u00a0to win over key politicians deciding on green reforms in recent years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DeSmog\u00a0found<\/a>\u00a0the industrial farming industry overall had an average of two meetings a week with key decision-makers in Europe\u2019s ruling party, the European People\u2019s Party (EPP), since 2020, as the EU negotiated flagship reforms to protect nature and climate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Industry tactics, including from farmers\u2019 unions, have also taken more novel approaches, including organising Alpine hikes for key decision-makers on green reforms, and renting free office space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One group that has targeted EU decision-makers is French union FNSEA. The group has also become dominant in debates around the farmers\u2019 protests, and has been accused of co-opting smaller farmers\u2019 concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recent weeks its president, Arnaud Rousseau \u2013 who also is the boss of the major agricultural commodities trader Avril Grouphas \u2013 met with<\/a> disapproval after pushing the group\u2019s talking points on TV even when speaking about protests organised by non-affiliated FNSEA farmers who have a different agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FNSEA is a regional affiliate and key ally of Copa-Cogeca. The group has been accused<\/a> by campaigners at groups such as Corporate Europe Observatory of representing the interests of large businesses\u2019 interests over those smaller producers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like Copa-Cogeca the group has been an aggressive<\/a> lobbyist against Europe\u2019s green measures, referring to the Farm to Fork as a \u201cdegrowth strategy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Environmentalists have also pointed<\/a> to the fraught relations between farmers groups in Italy as signs of a much more fractured movement than is often acknowledged. Several groups \u2013 including one named the \u201cBetrayed Farmers\u201d have taken a stance against Coldiretti \u2013 a Copa-Cogeca affiliate, saying they don\u2019t feel represented by its positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ody sums up: \u201cThe farmers\u2019 protests and anger is legitimate. But they have been using this in order to protect their own interests as big businessmen.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article by Rachel Sherrington was originally published on DeSmog<\/a>. It is republished here as part of the global journalism collaboration Covering Climate Now.<\/em><\/p>\n

The post Big Ag vs Climate Change: Are Farmers Really Protesting Against the EU’s Green Reforms?<\/a> appeared first on Green Queen<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

This post was originally published on Green Queen<\/a>. <\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"eu<\/div>\n

<\/span> 9<\/span> Mins Read<\/span><\/span> Big agriculture and far-right parties set farmers against the environment, but producers on the ground in Brussels told a different story. By Rachel Sherrington Across France, Italy and Belgium last week thousands of farmers\u00a0descended on capital cities to express their deep discontent with the European food system. The scenes were dramatic. Parked tractors brought traffic [\u2026]<\/p>\n

The post Big Ag vs Climate Change: Are Farmers Really Protesting Against the EU\u2019s Green Reforms?<\/a> appeared first on Green Queen<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1748,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[478,12213,68818],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1504238"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1748"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1504238"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1504238\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1506465,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1504238\/revisions\/1506465"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1504238"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1504238"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radiofree.asia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1504238"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}