FoEE Agriculture Campaigner Joanna Dober delivering the FoEE demands to Commissioner Franz Fischler, during the EU Agriculture Council meeting in Luxembourg, June 17th. (credit photo: Luxpress)

Friends of the Earth took action today, Tuesday 17 June 2003, in front of the meeting of the EU Agriculture Council, demanding Ministers go for REAL CAP reform. The message from Friends of the Earth Europe to Ministers was loud and clear. “Go for the new reform package on the table, tighten up the environmental standards and bring forward the deadlines for implementation.”

If the reform talks fail and the new proposals from Commissioner Fischler are reduced to a FAKE reform agreement, the responsibility will lie fair and square on the shoulders of the French who want to keep in place the EU cash handouts to their big corporate farmers. Industrial farmers in Europe get the vast majority of CAP money: 80% of CAP money goes to just 20% of farmers, some of which get over 300,000 euros each year. Despite a lot of watering down of the original Fischler proposals over the past year, Ministers now have the chance to go for a REAL CAP reform, and not the FAKE reform being pushed by the French.

If Ministers fail to agree the new reform package on the table, which includes ‘cross compliance’ – a new requirement for farmers to meet environmental standards in order to qualify for CAP subsidies - the environment in Europe will continue to suffer extreme damage from the CAP. Not only has the water, the soil, biodiversity and nature suffered, so have livelihoods in rural communities. Small farmers are going out of business at an unprecedented rate, while the quality of fresh food diminishes. Fruit and vegetables are dosed with high levels of pesticides and factory meat farms have become the norm. Europe’s citizens have demanded healthy food and sustainable farming, yet the CAP (and thus the EU) has let them down.

“Bringing farmers into line with environmental law is a positive step in the right direction for CAP. But much more action is needed now to prevent agriculture further damaging the environment. Cross compliance should be strong and tough. It’s time CAP reform finally offered Europe’s citizens a fair deal. “
Joanna Dober, Friends of the Earth Europe

Friends of the Earth want a CAP that delivers for the environment and the poor:
- stringent cross compliance including pesticide reduction targets
- more funding for the Second Pillar (Rural Development)
- prioritization to sustainable farming
- no subsidized dumping on the developing world

For media interviews contact:
Joanna Dober on 00 34 657 01 60 40 (mobile) OR 00 32 485 302 386 (mobile) OR 00 322 542 0180 (office)

Friends of the Earth is the largest grassroots environmental network in the world 
campaigning to protect the environment and to create sustainable societies.
Friends of the Earth Europe (FoEE) unites more than 30 national member groups with thousands of local groups.