Brussels is buzzing again after the summer slumber. It kicked off in earnest on September 10^th with EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen delivering her annual State of the European Union to the European Parliament in Strasbourg. In a wide ranger speech, which spanned many topics including Ukraine and defence, she also touched on food and farming.

It included a promise of a new ‘Buy European Food’ campaign. Addressing MEPs, she referenced EU farmers and fishers. “They are also the custodians of our lands & oceans, our biodiversity, the key to our food security.” However, “they are facing headwinds – from high input costs to red tape or unfair competition,” she pointed out. “We are acting on all those fronts pointing to CAP simplification bringing farmers’ need fair competition & a level playing field.”

Echoing the mantra of Farm Commissioner Christoph Hansen, she said “we also need to strengthen the position of farmers in the food chain. For too long their hard work has not paid off as it should. Farmers have a right to a fair price for their food – & a fair profit for their families,”

There is a feeling in Brussels that the trade deal with the US is not good for Europe and the Commissioner acknowledged this but said, “I do not believe in tariffs as tariffs are taxes,” but she went on to stress that the agreement “provides crucial stability in our relations with the US at a time of grave global insecurity. Think of the repercussions of a fully-fledged trade war with the US … picture the chaos. This is why we did a deal to keep market access for our industries & we ensured that Europe got the best possible deal out there.”

Ms. Von der Leyen also touched on the controversial Mercorsur trade agreement which does not sit comfortably with Irish beef farmers but pointed to shifting sands of global trade. “At a time when the global trading system is crumbling, we are securing the global rules through bilateral agreements, like with Mexico or Mercosur, or finalising negotiations on a historic deal with India by the end of this year,” she said.

Despite the tenor of the Commission Presidents words, still, the huge cut to the CAP proposed in the Multiannual Financial Framework announced in July is the overriding concern. The fight is already underway within COPA COGECA against the stringent cut in the budget coupled with the restructuring of the CAP to one pillar. We will soon see if the Commission is really committed to EU farming concerns. (note: Letter from Brussels is published in the October issue of Irish Farmers Monthly)