Unfair competition from the import sector, rising costs, and new green rules tabled by the EU are just some of the issues that have sparked Europe-wide farmer protests in recent weeks.
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In a major win for European farmers, the European Union (EU) announced Wednesday it would delay green rules that would have required them to set aside land to promote biodiversity and healthy soil.
Farmers in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, and Italy took to the streets in recent weeks to air their grievances, from unfair competition with the import sector and rising prices to the EU’s sustainability policies aimed at revamping the bloc’s €55 billion (US$59.4) Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Among the nine new rules the EU is set to introduce are requirements for farmers to implement crop rotations, cut fertiliser use by at least 20%, and leave at least 4% of arable land fallow or unused.
In Wednesday’s press release, the European Commission announced all EU farmers would be exempted from the latter requirement for one year, adding that farmers growing certain environmentally friendly crops on at least 7% of their arable land will be regarded as fulfilling the requirement. These include crops that contribute to nitrogen fixation – such as lentils, peas, and favas – as well as catch crops – quick-growing crops planted between the main crops that maximise land use while preventing soil erosion.
“Today’s measure offers additional flexibility to farmers at a time when they are dealing with multiple challenges,” said Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission. “We will continue to engage with our farmers to ensure the CAP strikes the right balance between responding to their needs while continuing to deliver public goods for our citizens. ”
Farmers are facing unprecedented challenges as a result of geopolitical tensions and climate change. In particular, back-to-back extreme weather events including droughts, wildfires, and floodings in various European countries have impacted output and revenue, while Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 contributed to a spike in energy and input prices and affected trade flows. The price of cereals is currently about 30% lower than pre-invasion, from €80.6 billion (US$87.1 billion) in 2022 to €58.8 billion (US$63.5 billion) in 2023.
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European Commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič described Wednesday’s decision as “a helping hand” for the hard-hit sector and said the Commission demonstrated “flexibility and solidarity” with European farmers.
“By enabling the production of nitrogen fixing crops and catch crops, without the use of plant protection products, this derogation strikes a balance between the short-term necessity of supporting farmers and the long-term need to protect our climate, soil health, and biodiversity,” he said.
In a statement, the European farming lobby Copa and Cogeca criticised the move, saying it “comes late in the agricultural calendar and remains limited” and calling on EU leaders to do more.
“We hope that member states will further strengthen this proposal to have a more global approach especially in member states that have been particular impacted by extreme climate events, during the European Council meeting tomorrow,” the statement read.
Ariel Brunner, head of EU Policy at the environmental NGO BirdLife International, said on X (formerly Twitter) that the proposed exemptions would “[destroy] flowerstrips and fallows” and “further [lock] farmers into dependency on chemical industry.
But the Commission did not stop here. On Wednesday, it also tabled a proposal to limit the import of sensitive agricultural products from Ukraine, including poultry, eggs, and sugar, and re-introduce tariffs if imports exceed average levels of 2022 and 2023. The EU had lifted import duties on Ukrainian exports in 2022 to support the country’s economy following Russia’s invasion, a move that farmers in Ukraine’s neighbouring countries Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia strongly opposed.
Both measures will require approval from EU governments and the European Parliament.
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