World Grain - May 2024 - 6

FROM THE EDITOR
EU farmers taking on
big government
H
umans are by nature prone to overreaction.
Therefore, so are governments.
The legislative pendulum
swings wildly in one direction, which inevitably
leads to problems. The response
is often an extreme reaction, sending the
pendulum too far in the opposite direction,
creating a different set of problems.
We see this all the time in politics. One
party assumes majority rule and implements
a non-compromising agenda. The
public becomes dissatisfied with that party's
overindulgence and elects the opposition
group which then passes legislation
that pivots to the opposite end of the spectrum.
Compromise and moderate proposals
are ignored in the name of achieving
absolute victory.
This type of situation is playing out in
the European Union, where " green " environmental
policies have been enacted to
address important matters such as climate
change. While the sweeping changes are
well-intentioned, EU farmers see the
measures as too extreme, hampering their
ability to be profitable. This is one of the
reasons - probably the main reason -
farmers have engaged in massive protests
across the continent in recent months.
Various other government policies that
suppress farm commodity prices are on
their list of grievances.
As part of the Green Deal and its Farmto-Fork
strategy, which was enacted in
2019, lawmakers sought a 50% reduction
in the use of pesticides, a 20% reduction
in fertilizer use, and a 50% reduction in
antimicrobials for farm animals in the
coming years. Also, 25% of agricultural
land is due to be used for organic farming.
The protests have been effective, resonating
with many European citizens. With
European Parliament elections looming
in June, policymakers have started scaling
back some of the environmental regulations
that were part of the European Commission's
Green Deal, including scrap6
ping
new legislation designed to limit
fertilizer and pesticide use.
Much of the media coverage of the protests
has focused on farmers in Eastern
European countries railing against the importation
of cheap Ukrainian grain, with
dramatic footage of Polish farmers spilling
grain from an incoming Ukrainian
truck going viral on social media. But the
root issue is government overreach, as it
stacks regulation upon regulation, chipping
away at the livelihood of farmers.
Agricultural producers are expressing
their anger because they feel their opinions
on the Green Deal were ignored by
lawmakers, that the legislation was enacted
with no consideration of its impact
on those who work to keep the EU's 450
million people fed.
Although they have made the most
noise, farmers aren't the only ones impacted.
The feed milling industry also has suffered,
with EU feed production having declined
steadily in recent years. That trend
is expected to continue, as a recent study
by Wageningen University researchers estimates
that Green Deal objectives will reduce
livestock production by 10% to 15%
in the coming years.
Environmental conservation and sustainability
are critical issues that must
be addressed to protect the future of our
planet. But the present plight of EU farmers
should not be ignored by lawmakers.
Middle ground must
be found on this issue.
With the recent concessions
being made by
EU decision-makers in
response to the massive
protests, the Green Deal
is starting to take on a slightly lighter shade
of green through reasonable compromise,
which is a welcome development.
Arvin Donley
Editor
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World Grain - May 2024

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