Importance of strong CAP after 2013 stressed to EU policymakers

EUROPEAN farmers and co-ops have urged policymakers in Brussels to ensure that there is a competitive agri-food sector and a strong Common Agricultural Policy after 2013, to prevent a complete collapse of the market.

Padraig Walshe and Paolo Bruni, the respective presidents of Copa and Cogeca, made the call at an informal Council of Agricultural Ministers meeting.

They reminded ministers that farming is first and foremost an economic sector that underpins the largest manufacturing industry in Europe.