As part of the Green Week in Berlin Agriculture Minister Norbert Totschnig, LK President Josef Moosbrugger and the Chairman of the Agriculture Committee Georg Strasser a clear message to the new EU Commission: “The competitiveness of European agriculture and forestry must once again be the top priority and bureaucracy must be reduced bit by bit.”
Totschnig: The course for the future of agricultural policy will be set in 2025
“In the coming months, decisive decisions will be made for future EU agricultural policy. One thing is clear: we need a strong and competitive European Union that can assert itself internationally. This requires sustainable agriculture instead of production restrictions, secure incomes instead of cuts and reductions in bureaucracy Instead of regulatory pressure, we expect more continuity in the programs and a safeguarding of the EU agricultural budget. Services that are ordered must also be paid for.”
“Last year, I was one of the first agriculture ministers to call for a course correction in EU policy. This course correction in EU policy that has begun must now be consistently continued. New bureaucracy, additional production requirements and production restrictions weaken competitiveness and demotivate family farmers,” demands Deadly clear actions to reduce bureaucracy.
“European agriculture is of strategic importance for our security; this requires planning and fair competition – be it with Mercosur or with regard to the new association agreement with Ukraine.”
Moosbrugger: Anchor farmers’ concerns, secure family businesses
“2025 is an important year of setting the course for agriculture and forestry. We must ensure that key farming concerns are anchored at all levels – starting with the ongoing government negotiations, but also at the European and international level,” emphasized LKÖ President Moosbrugger , who underlined the great importance of good transnational networks in this context. “The IGW Berlin is not only an important showcase for food diversity. We also use it intensively as a platform to maintain and forge agricultural policy alliances.”
Simplification proposals drawn up for EU Commissioner
“With the new EU Commission, EU Agriculture Commissioner Hansen and the first concrete signals – from the wolf to the postponement of the deforestation regulation – new hope has come to European agricultural policy. We also rate it positively that the Luxembourger has been commissioned by the EU Commission President to To significantly reduce the documentation requirements and thus the bureaucracy, however, since it is the actual implementation that is important, we as LKÖ have developed concrete simplification suggestions that will support Hansen in his task should,” he said Moosbrugger out.
CAP future: Continue what has been tried and tested, improve or delete points of criticism
“For the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), it is important to us that tried and tested things are continued and known points of criticism are improved or deleted. There must be no fundamental changes. It would hardly be possible for a program to be established and the companies to be geared towards overturning everything again counterproductive and would throw further family farms off track. The CAP programs as a whole must also be included in the multiannual financial framework, for which a first proposal is expected in 2025 “This is the only way we can continue to guarantee agricultural services for society as a whole – in terms of security of supply, but also in terms of climate and biodiversity protection, animal welfare and more.” Moosbrugger.
Farmers’ Association President and ÖVP agricultural spokesman Georg Strasser emphasizes that in the current government negotiations it is important to set central pegs for the future of small-scale, family farms in Austria: “The Farmers’ Association has always been the force that politically advocates for farmers. We are at the table and “We are really giving voice to the concerns that are currently of great concern to our farming families. We are fighting for measures that are now needed on farms in Austria.” Specifically, Strasser explains: “Our livestock farms expect planning and investment security from politicians. An appropriate and feasible transition period is therefore needed until the end of unstructured pig pens with full slats. Young farm owners who invest in the future need the necessary support, but also the clarity that their investments are paying off.”
Efforts are being made to set up a new federal government quickly, but there are no concessions at any price, says Strasser: “A real reduction in bureaucracy is just as much a demand from the farmers’ association as the relief of our farmers in food production through support for operating resources . In order for the various additional services provided by agriculture and forestry for climate and environmental protection to be compensated, the value of CAP funds needs to be adjusted and modern plant protection must continue to be possible. We also want to expand the labeling of food with regard to regionality and quality.”