A fairer future for farmers means a greener future for Europe – POLITICO

Farmers know that tackling the climate and nature crises is critical. Agriculture is highly exposed to the increasingly severe impacts of climate change, including droughts, floods and biodiversity loss. For example, the EU expects overall grain production to be 4.3% below the five-year average this season, mainly due to bad weather.

Simply put, just as there can be no agriculture without nature, there is no food without farmers. Currently, the European Commission estimates that 60 to 70 percent of Europe’s soil is unhealthy. And this not only increases the risk of drought and wildfires, but also reduces the amount of arable land suitable for agriculture.

A recent poll of French farmers therefore found that 61% believe that an ecological transition is necessary. However, this contradicts public perception and many media reports about the protests, which say environmental and climate regulations are one of farmers’ main grievances. Politicians should listen to the voices of the farmers themselves, not the corporate lobbyists and agitators who claim to speak on their behalf.

Furthermore, policymakers are currently choosing to roll back the few safeguards designed to protect land, biodiversity, and rural areas, rather than addressing the root causes of protests. This raises questions about plans to reduce emissions in the agricultural sector under the EU Green Deal.

However, retreating from decarbonization and nature restoration is counterproductive. And while short-term approaches may appease the loudest voices, they do little to address farmers’ fundamental concerns and demands.

What Europe needs instead is a fair agreement that addresses the systemic problems that underpin our food systems to restore dignity to agriculture. For example, reform of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy is overdue, but without first rebalancing the highly unequal distribution of who receives funds, it will simply reduce the amount of subsidies paid under the system. Merely increasing the total amount would miss the point. More financial support should be used to encourage sustainable practices, and less financial support should be given to the richest and usually the most polluting mega-farms.