Report says EU Trade Agreements benefit EU farmers – “illogical and pointless” say ICMSA

The President of ICMSA has rejected the findings of a report published by the EU Commission that purports to show that the EU’s policy on trade deals has benefitted its indigenous farming and agri-food sector.   The Commission’s report claims that EU policy will result in substantial increases in EU agri-food exports, with more limited increases in imports creating a positive trade balance overall.    The report quotes the Commission’s Executive Vice President, Valdis Dombrovskis, as saying that the EU “has always stood for open and fair trade which has enormously benefitted our economy, including agricultural producers” and it is this conclusion that will most astonish farmers, according to Pat McCormack.

“Mr Dombrovskis must be aware of the fact that the number of family farms in the EU has declined – and is still declining – year on year. If what he said was true, if EU Trade Policy was benefitting agricultural producers then that would be reflected in the numbers of EU citizens farming or otherwise engaged in primary food production, but those people are still leaving the sector every year. They’re showing what they think of the EU’s attitude to EU farming by leaving the sector.   That’s the reality and every scrap of data for 25 years shows that that’s the case”, said Mr. McCormack.

“Possibly Mr. Dombrovskis means that the EU Trade Policy is beneficial for the multi-national food processors based within the EU, and that may very well be true but it most certainly doesn’t benefit the farmers in all the Member States who are struggling to make a reasonable living”, he continued.

Mr. McCormack was even more scathing of the fact that the report did not incorporate environmental or climate effects, describing their non-inclusion as “a disqualifying omission”.  

“The illogical and pointless nature of this report can best be illustrated by the fact that environmental and climate change measures – the very things that the EU keeps telling us will be the most important considerations in forming policy now and into the future –  form no part of the report and specifically were not taken into account when it was being assembled.   Effectively that makes the projections and predictions on the EU side of the comparison questionable at best and meaningless at worst.    If EU farming and agri-food is going to be predicated on the transition to lower emissions farming and food production then what good are any scenarios out to 2030 that take no account of that basis?” asked Mr. McCormack.

“Of course the reason why environmental or climate measures couldn’t be incorporated into the Commission’s report is that it would illustrate very vividly the fact that most of the other entities with which the EU has FTAs or trade agreements don’t have anything resembling similar environmental standards or climate mitigation measures.   That’s the reason why environment or climate issues couldn’t be factored into this report; because if it was included on the EU side, it would highlight the fact that there was no comparable calculation on the ‘other’ side – Mercosur is the perfect example.  It’s difficult to see how anyone can take this report seriously – Irish farmers certainly won’t”, said Mr. McCormack.

Ends              27 January 2021

Pat McCormack, 087-7608958

President, ICMSA.

Or

Cathal MacCarthy, 087-6168758

ICMSA Press Office