Be more competitive, farmers told

EUROPEAN farming must become even more competitive so that it can hold its head high in a globalised world, Agriculture and Rural Development Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel declared in Florence, Italy, yesterday.

She said it must be more sustainable to meet public expectations, while rural areas must develop their environmental, social and economic potential better.

Farmers and other rural businesses must be well placed to respond to new challenges and the next step in achieving this is the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Health Check, for which the European Commission will make legal proposals on May 20.