Farmers warn EU not to unravel reforms

Dublin: The umbrella bodies for European farmers and agricultural co-ops have called on EU leaders to ensure that the agricultural reforms they have recently agreed are not unravelled in the world trade talks.

COPA and COGECA’s respective presidents Peter Gaemelke and Eduardo Baamonde expressed their great concern about the letter that the European Commission sent to all WTO members this week, offering total elimination of export subsidies for European farming.

“Despite the fact that the European Commission’s policy of offering concessions ahead of negotiations has failed each and every time to gain any response from trading partners, once again concessions are being offered in agriculture with absolutely no guarantee of obtaining anything in return” the presidents said in a statement.

“We insist that the Commission stick to the mandate given to it by the heads of state and government of the European Union, so as to ensure that the agricultural reforms which have just been agreed are not unravelled, and to avoid compromising the negotiating position of the future Commission.”

The warning came as the IFA hosted the presidium of COPA, which represents 11 million farmers across Europe, at the RDS in Dublin. The two day meeting of farm leaders from across the EU includes the 10 new entrants for the first time.

IFA president John Dillon has meanwhile told EU Farm Commissioner Franz Fischler that his proposal to cut export refunds will damage Ireland most because of the high export dependence of its dairy and beef industries.

IFA attacks EPA over annual report

Ireland: The IFA yesterday accused the Environmental Protection Agency of a misleading assessment of the impact of agriculture on the environment.

It sought a meeting with the EPA to discuss “the unfair and negative portrayal of agriculture and farmers” in its report.

IFA president John Dillon said the 2004 report highlighted a tiny number of unacceptable incidents of direct discharge to surface waters on two rivers and implied that this was indicative of the practices of over 140,000 farmers.

He said that nothing could be further from the truth. He added the EPA failed to acknowledge farmers’ action in improvements in surface water quality.