Midland Farmer - Spring 2024

Spring 2024
The general secretary of
the Irish Cattle and
Sheep Farmers’ Association
(ICSA) has
accused the European
Commission of being
“detached” from farmers.
Eddie Punch made the
comments at the Global
Food Forum this week in
Brussels which was
organised by Farm
Europe.
The two-day event, taking
place ahead of the
European elections in
June, called for the development
of an ambitious
European farm deal.
Among those in attendance
were EU Commissioner
for Agriculture
Janusz Wojciechowski,
along with David Clarinval,
deputy prime minister
and Minister of
Agriculture, Belgium,
which currently holds the
EU presidency.
They were joined by key
figures from EU institutions,
national ministers,
farm organisations and
business leaders.
In his response to the
Commissioner Wojciechowski
and the Belgian
presidency of the
EU, Eddie Punch took aim
at the lack of engagement
by the EU Commission
with the farmers.
“As we come to the end
of another commission
mandate, I look back at
the last four-and-a-halfyears
and I wonder how
did it get so bad that the
commission became so
detached from the practitioners
on the ground?
“How is it that you have
been expert in shadow
consultation with keyboard
warriors, but not
listening or engaging in a
real way with the practitioners
on the ground?
“You know this now
because you see the tractors
on the streets. But
you should not have to be
shocked and surprised.
“The farmers are angry
all over Europe at the confluence
of policies that
have shown disrespect for
the people who put food
on the table,” he said.
Punch told the conference
that farmers are
being asked to do more on
sustainability, biodiversity
and climate change
while being expected to
continue to produce food
“at prices that are not sustainable
economically”.
“We have had a crisis of
inflation and input costs,”
he said.
Punch said that the
Common Agricultural
Policy (CAP) budget has
been “eroded by inflation”
over the past
decade.
“A CAP budget that was
meant to be for farmers to
produce food so that there
would be cheap food available
for consumers.
Throughout the last four
years we have seen the
CAP budget raided again
and again,” he said.
He added that treating
farmers as if they were
large industrial production
units under the
Industrial Emissions
Directive (IED) was “a
MIDLAND FARMER
EU Commission ‘detached’ from farmers – ICSA
Convoy of tractors during protest in Spain.
11
ridiculous concept”.
“How has this commission
become so detached
from the reality of practitioners
on the ground that
we have seen proposal
after proposal that is obviously
based on a detachment
from the people who
must implement this?
“Even today I see the
European Food Safety
Authority report on animal
welfare and it is clear
that they have not discussed
practical realities
with farmers.
“They have figures there
for example for the space
per cow which is completely
out of touch with
reality. They clearly have
not discussed this with
the practitioners on the
ground,” he said.
It is understood that the
EFSA report recommends
that each dairy cow be
allocated 9m2 in sheds
which the ICSA general
secretary said would not
make economical or environmental
sense.
“Is there any pause for
reflection in the commission
that you have got it
so wrong over the last
four years and what are
you going to do to change
it now?” Punch asked.
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the Midlands
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