Double blow from low prices and high costs hitting European farmers

FARMERS across Europe are being suffocated by rock-bottom farm prices and high production costs, COPA-COGECA has warned.

The umbrella bodies for European farmers and co-ops was responding to the figures recently released by the EU statistical office Eurostat showing another sharp fall in EU farm incomes in 2009 of 12.2%.

COPA president Padraig Walshe said this situation is simply not acceptable. Farmers across the EU have suffered a major crisis in all farm sectors this year.