On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the Common Agricultural Policy, the Plenary Session of the European Parliament held a ceremony to mark a policy which has transformed Europe. In her speech, President Roberta Metsola spoke about the successes and challenges of the policy, whilst emphasised that agriculture is a strategic sector of the European economy.
© European Union | The President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola
Today we mark the 60th anniversary of our Common Agricultural Policy. A policy that has enabled us to increase productivity, ensure the availability of reasonably priced food and provide fair living standards to farmers.
Our Common Agriculture Policy has transformed Europe.
Our farmers not only provide us with the food security we need - they also export around 180 billion euro worth of agri-products to third countries. Europe’s quality products have helped feed the world.
But we must also consider the challenges that lie ahead. Only 11% of farm managers in the EU are under 40. Our agri-sector is in desperate need of an influx of skilled young farmers that can boost innovation. We need to approach farming with a fresh perspective.
We also need to pay closer attention to the quality of our products and sustainability of production process. This is why we need to speed up and gear up our efforts to make farming as environmentally friendly as possible. The reform of the Common Agricultural Policy together with the Farm to Fork Strategy are tailor-made for this purpose.
Another challenge is the rising costs of production that will soon lead to higher food prices. Fertiliser prices rose by 30% since the beginning of 2022. Increase in fuel costs are reaching record levels. Inflationary pressure is having an enormous effect the day-to-day management of our 10 million farms in the EU.
And here I must emphasise the immense disruption of trade in grain and cereals as a consequence of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Blockades of port and an inability to find alternative ways to transport agricultural products in and out of Ukraine has led to higher prices and a sense of instability. The pressure that it has caused on global food supply chains is extremely worrying. If Ukraine is not allowed to toil its fields, we are looking at a global multi-year lack of food supplies.
All these challenges need a decisive and firm reaction from us. Agriculture is a strategic sector of our economy.
On this milestone anniversary, let me end by paying tribute to all the people behind the success of our Common Agricultural Policy. The farmers, their families and all other ancillary workers that put a huge effort in the fields come rain or shine are the true narrators of this success story.