European farmers and agri-food workers demand prices that cover production costs be urgently included in the UTP Directive

European farmer and agri-food worker organisations have demanded a fast-track procedure be initiated by the end of the year to add purchasing agricultural and food products under the cost of production to the Unfair Trading Practices Directive black list, in an open lettersent today to the President of the European Commission, the President of the Agrifish Council and the President of the European Parliament.

European Coordination Via Campesina (ECVC), European Milk Board (EMB), and European Federation of Trade Unions in the Food, Agriculture and Tourism (EFFAT) jointly call upon the EU Institutions to take this quick and concrete measure to ensure fair incomes for farmers and agri-food workers and improve their living and working conditions. This cannot wait for a broader UTP Directive reform, as highlighted by the many sectoral crises farmers and agrifood workers are currently facing, and by the protests at the beginning of the year.

For ECVC farmer and Coordinating Committee member, Andoni Garcia Arriola, EU Institutions need to reassure farmers with concrete action. "Farmers need to see that the promises to address prices made in the recent Strategic Dialogue report will be honoured in the Commission's upcoming roadmap for agriculture. Words are not enough to support farmers and workers whose incomes are far below the average income of the population in the EU and are not enough to continue producing food. Immediate action must be taken to respond to this situation and to build the 'culture of collaboration' that von der Leyen claims to want."

Wiebke Warneck, EFFAT, Political Secretary for Food, Drink and Tobacco, added, "To fight unfair trading practices is essential for the workers in the agri-food sector: selling below production price goes nearly automatically hand in hand with labour exploitation and low wages. Including the prohibition into the black list and adding a general clause on UTPs is part of the solution."

Kjartan Poulsen, EMB president also stated: "The EU urgently needs its farmers. And the farmers who have not yet left production urgently need at least constant cost-covering prices. Just like the young generation that is supposed to enter production. If the EU does not send the important signal now and push ahead with the legal transposition, then both the remaining producers and the young generation will lose faith that they can have a future in agricultural production. And with this loss of faith, the EU will continue to lose many of its producers, which will be disastrous for our food production. We all know that this is not an exaggeration or a threat. It will be the simple consequence of failing to take important measures. So take this important measure!"

The signatories of the letter also requested a meeting with President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen in order to further discuss measures to ensure farmers receive fair prices. Read the full letter here.

Contacts

Andoni Garcia Arriola - ECVC: +34 636451569/ +32 2 217 31 12 - EN, FR, ES, IT, DE
Wiebke Warneck - EFFAT: +32490113117 - w.warneck[at]effat.org
Kjartan Poulsen - President of EMB: +45 (0)212 888 99 - EN, DK, DE