Agriculture Remains Top EU Priority

Herman Van Rompuy, the new European President, has assured local agricultural journalists that farming remains a high priority with decision makers in the European Union, as Rodney Magowan reports.

Mr McGowan, who is pictured (on right) meeting the top EC politician, said this comment by the quietly spoken former Belgian Prime Minister charged with chairing EU Council of Ministers meetings follows unease in farming circles at the lack of agricultural content in the EU 2020 strategy plan.

"One third of the 500 million citizens in our European Union across 27 nations live in rural areas, areas where farming is and will remain the main economic dynamo driving rural development," the President added.

"Farming is the oldest human economic activity and farmers deserve a fair income, a return they must receive in an era when food shortages face a still rapidly growing human population.

"A population with ever higher aspirations, not least as regards an improved western style diet," he said.

Continuing the European President, a politician respected in Belgium for his thoughtfulness and quiet courtesy, said the Common Agricultural Policy was at the most important crossroads since 1957.

As plans were made for the CAP beyond 2013 the views of farmers and farmers’ organisations were being sought.

President Van Rompuy noted that of total European GDP just 1.4% is spent on supporting farming and other rural enterprises through the CAP budget.

"Farming faces many challenges as concerns over food security grow, not least an ageing rural workforce and a shortage of young people coming into a farm and food sector, which employs over 30 million EU citizens.

"Thus any development of the CAP must take into account the role of farming in creating real rural development, providing a secure source of food, enhancing the environment and helping contain climate change," he said.

"All this at a time when the EU is falling behind other economic power blocs in recovering from the recession.

"According to the IMF, the International Monetary Fund, the EU economy is growing by a mere 1% when figures for other areas include China 10%, India 8.8% and the USA 3.1%." he concluded.

Figures, Herman Van Rompuy said, showed the need for faster, better decision making by the European Council of Ministers, the increasingly powerful European Parliament and bureaucrats in the European Commission.

(BMcC/GK)