Lollobrigida in Brussels to regain Italian farmers’ confidence in EU

Brussels – Activating the agricultural reserve to compensate farmers who have suffered market losses due to livestock epidemics, simplifying the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and regaining farmers’ confidence. These are some of the points Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida emphasised at the European Union Agriculture and Fisheries Council meeting in Brussels.

With respect to economic resources, the minister did not give figures but pointed out that Italy today has “asked to be able to use, also to deal with zoonoses, the crisis funds.” All this, “in particular with regard to avian flu and South African plague: two diseases on which we have intervened to restore our farmers. But more resources are still needed.” Specifically, “resources are needed to compensate livestock farmers harmed by the halt in production activities and the depreciation of products that no longer find the same outlets in the market.” In addition, “there needs to be prevention reasoning” and “I hope—we are figuring out the feasibility of this process—we can work on having enough vaccines when outbreaks occur.” Because “when an outbreak occurs, you can’t start that day organising to try to immunise your herds; you must have vaccines available,” and “I think it’s a burden that our zooprophylactic institutes can try to solve. Obviously, I will have to talk to the relevant ministry, which is the Ministry of Health,” Lollobrigida pointed out.

According to the minister, if in the past “someone had tried, with methods all to be clarified, to demonize agriculture in Europe,” now that phase is over and “Europe is having a different kind of attitude.” So much so that what are seen as backward steps on the green deal for Lollobrigida are “steps forward” because “recognizing agriculture’s central role in protecting the environment is the first step forward. A lot has been done in the last two years, and I think the new Commission has set the work well.” However, the process needs to be continued, particularly by focusing on simplification of the CAP. For Lollobrigida, simplification is “the first element” and “must be really done, not just announced.” The EU Commission also seems to follow the same reasoning since, as announced by Agriculture Commissioner Christophe Hansen, the EU executive is “reflecting on the possibility of introducing additional measures” of simplification “that could be put in place for the current Common Agricultural Policy, without undermining the credibility of what has been decided together.” This is because further “simplification will be at the heart of the next post-2027 CAP, but the rules will only start in 2028, and it is too late for our farming community that protested last year.” The commissioner pledged “to take a further step forward” with the 27 ministers “already in the first half of this year.” And “I hope that we will be able to conclude” the talks before “starting negotiations on the future agricultural policy,” he concluded.

However, the “most difficult work to be done today, and on which Europe as a whole must focus, is gaining farmers’ trust,” including by “proving ourselves equal to clearing up misunderstandings.” For example, press reports “regarding the actions of Commissioner Timmermans must be clarified to restore farmers’ trust in a transparent Europe.”