The EU Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Janusz Wojciechowski, has said that the EU Farm to Fork policy will have to be revisited, in light of food security concerns.
Wojciechowski made the statement when he addressed the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) National Council in the Irish Farm Centre, Dublin 12, earlier this week.
Tim Cullinan, IFA president, said that the EU Commissioner acknowledged that the huge increase in input costs was putting huge pressure on farmers and food production.
About The Farm To Fork Strategy
Bord Bia explained that the EU Commission’s Farm to Fork Strategy and EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 publications were released on Wednesday 20 May and include key policy developments for sustainable agriculture.
The aim of the Farm to Fork Strategy is to ‘move towards food systems that stimulate dietary changes beneficial for health, decreasing the impacts on the environment and climate, while leaving no one behind.’
Common Agricultural Policy
According to the IFA, the discussion also included topics such as the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funding at a European level.
The organisation noted that the Commissioner outlined the need for increased funding at a European level for future CAP programmes, pointing out that current CAP funding amounted to just 0.3% of EU gross domestic product (GDP).
The EU Commissioner also referred to the important balance between socio-economic sustainability and environmental sustainability, it added.
Range Of Issues
Overall, Cullinan said that the meeting had been an opportunity to engage with Wojciechowski on a range of issues impacting Irish farming.
“Food security is a crucial issue, particularly with the upheaval caused by the war in Ukraine and the massive spike in input costs. We used this event to emphasise to Commissioner Wojciechowski that farmers have to be supported if they are to maintain production,” he said.
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