Agricultural Chambers of V4, Lithuania and Latvia Want €500 bn for EU Farmers

        Bratislava, 16 February (TASR) - The agricultural chambers of the Visegrad Four group countries (the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia), plus Lithuania and Latvia, are calling on the European Commission (EC) to allocate €500 billion to the agriculture sector, arguing that Europe's food security is at risk without a strong Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and a robust Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF), Slovak Agricultural and Food Chamber (SPPK) spokesperson Jana Holeciova told TASR on Monday.
        A clear message was sent to Brussels and the EC at talks held near Warsaw (in Konstancin-Jeziorna) in Poland on 13 February, which were also attended by SPPK, said the chamber. This was that without a substantial increase in the CAP budget, including protection of the internal market and immediate assistance to farmers, the EU risks losing food sovereignty, while the closure of farms and regional disparities may follow under the pressure of food imports from third countries.
        Further protests may be held if the EC fails to respond adequately to the demands. The delegations unequivocally rejected the current proposal for a CAP budget of €294 billion for 2028 to 2034, as this level of funding fails to reflect inflation, rising production costs and the new environmental and geopolitical challenges faced by European food producers.
        "If the EU is to guarantee food security and the stable production of quality European food for Europeans, the future agricultural budget must reach at least €500 billion," said SPPK head Andrej Gajdos. "We must draw the attention of European politicians to this yet again, because there have been no substantial concessions with the adjustments we've seen so far," added Gajdos.
        Other demands include preserving a two-pillar CAP, rejecting mandatory capping and a degressive element in direct payments, simplifying the definition of an active farmer, and providing support for livestock production and organic farming. The EC has also been urged to immediately use the Agricultural Reserve Fund and activate intervention mechanisms in order to stabilise the market.
        Due to serious concerns about the future of the EU's agricultural sector, market and price instability, as well as ongoing negotiations on the MFF and CAP for 2028 to 2034, the agricultural chambers are calling on the prime ministers of their countries to support their demands at the European Council meeting slated for 19-20 March.