The President of the Junta, Juanma Moreno, participated in Brussels in the ‘Reinforcing the Position of Farmers in the Agri-food Chain’ debate at the Plenary Session of the Committee of the Regions, where he explained that there are three priority areas that are key to the future of the agriculture sector in Andalusia: water resilience, generational renewal, and the protection of farmers within the supply chain.
«It is important to understand that food sovereignty is food security and requires a strong CAP that does not lose resources despite the new challenges of the union. An independent CAP from other EU funds, with the regions playing a leading role in its governance to ensure that funds are adapted to the needs of each territory,» he added.
Moreno pointed out that food security is crucial in protecting European citizens, emphasizing the need to support farmers so they do not abandon the field, ensuring that the CAP guarantees them fair income, and making the sector attractive for the new generations to continue this activity and not abandon rural areas.
Moreno, during his intervention in the debate ‘Reinforcing the position of farmers in the agri-food chain’.
In this regard, he stated that the food chain also depends on water, and he advocated for all European policies to have a water vision, while emphasizing the importance of ensuring supply by prioritizing the construction of hydraulic infrastructures with good planning and targeted funds.
Likewise, he advocated for modernizing hydraulic infrastructures and promoting precision agriculture so that farmers optimize every drop of water.
The President of the Junta also referred to generational renewal as another challenge for the primary sector in Europe and stressed the need to make it attractive to new generations, providing income stability, with a solid CAP and sufficient economic support. «Agriculture must be profitable to be attractive and look to the future with innovation,» he said.
In relation to this issue, he added that to strengthen the position of farmers in the agri-food chain, it is necessary to reinforce contracts between farmers and buyers, strengthen the negotiating capacity of producers, and promote fair trade and sustainable practices.
«It is time for the EU to protect and defend farmers, breeders, and fishermen, who need less bureaucracy, rules that prevent third countries from importing to the EU under advantageous conditions compared to European producers, and greater certainty,» he said.
View of the Plenary Session of the European Committee of the Regions in Brussels.
It is expected that this noon Moreno will have a meeting in Brussels with the EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Food, Christophe Hansen.
Since 2019, Andalusia has been working to accelerate the necessary structural transformations and to progress and grow on sustainable pillars with a drastic reduction in pollution. An effort that is complemented by the work of Andalusian farmers and breeders.
The Andalusian Government has launched an ambitious simplification plan that reaches agricultural tasks with measures such as simplifying the registration of agricultural and forestry holdings. It also aims to ensure supply and provide water to those who supply healthy, sustainable, and wholesome food, prioritizing the construction of hydraulic infrastructures with good planning and targeted funds.