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PLENARY European Parliament
Follow its sittings
Carlo Fidanza
We've seen epidemics of animal diseases with devastating effects. So we need better prevention, vaccination, and better European instruments for protecting animal health. We also need to have a pragmatic approach to sustainability with concrete solutions, with proper animal health systems to ensure that we can find European alternatives to synthetic fertilizers, reducing costs for farmers, increasing our strategic autonomy, and contributing to the environmental transition. Without stability for farmers, there's no strategic autonomy for Europe. And that's where we come in as co-legislators.
We cannot sit on the fence when a future strategy is being put together for livestock farming. So as rapporteur, I'd like.
to thank Commissioner Hansen, and I'm sure he will take on board our views. Our farmers, our consumers, they expect rapid responses that are strong and broadly shared. This report is a chance to move in that direction.
Martin Hojsík
Well, thank you very much. On behalf of the commission, commissioner Hansen, the floor is yours, please.
Christophe Hansen
Thank you, Mister President, dear rapporteur, honorable members. I very much welcome the opportunity of discussing with you a topic that the commission has identified as a crucial element of agriculture of our European livestock sector. And coming from a livestock farm myself, I can very much relate to the day-to-day life of a livestock farmer, and it is, in many ways, especially in dealings with animals, an extremely challenging job too. And even more so now in the current context of many challenges you have mentioned, mister Raphauteur, some of them waiting on our farms. And, your dedication to presenting a thorough report on the subject shows a big convergence of views between the two institutions on this key sector.
And you rightly highlight its crucial importance for food security, rural import employment, vitality and resilience, maintenance of rural landscapes, biodiversity, and much more. And securing a predictable and profitable future for the EU livestock sector is indeed at the heart of the upcoming livestock strategy that the Commission plans to deliver before the summer break. And you will recall from my hearing that I built the core of my mandate around generational renewal, and the strategy must give clear signals to any young person out there wondering if they should take over a family livestock farm or start fresh in farming. And to go in this direction, they must see a vision for this sector, a sector that is profitable, that is sustainable, and that is resilient. And our consumers are also very much looking for clarity on how the strategy will address their expectations, especially on quality, sustainability, animal welfare, and more.
And I agree with the analysis in your report. The livestock sector is under huge pressure due to a set of interconnected factors. Animal health risks and extreme weather events testing our resilience, volatile markets, and tight margins affecting our competitiveness, environmental and climate footprint requiring progress on sustainability and more innovation, and these are just a few of the challenges. But Europe also has jewels in its livestock sector, in particular in its territorial diversity that allows a rich diversity of species, production systems, and final products that consumers value very much. It's worldwide praised standards, for instance, on animal welfare that allow Europe to champion them for the benefit of all.
And the objective is clear. We want to support a sector that is resilient, competitive, and sustainable, while also reflecting Europe's diversity and excellence. And the strategy will follow the principles highlighted in the vision, in particular, there cannot be a one size fits all approach to livestock. We need tailored solutions that respect the diversity of livestock production systems across all of Europe. And we want to see research and innovation underpinning what we do, especially on sustainability.
And we are analyzing your report in detail, and it will serve as a very valuable contribution to our work. And I see already many similarities in our thinking. On resilience, we should do more on risk management, crisis prevention, and investment in research and innovation, for instance. On competitiveness, we should work on our strengths, increasing efficiency, stronger value chains, promoting quality and market segmentation to start with. On sustainability, we need to progress in reducing emissions, supporting biodiversity, and improving animal husbandry and nutrient management, so innovation will be a key enabler there.
And livestock also has a strong territorial dimension. It is essential for the employment and viability of our rural areas, and this requires integrated planning when it comes to projects such as food processing, slaughterhouses, and other facilities. And livestock is also relevant for the circularity of the economy. And think about animal byproducts, biomaterial, and digestate from livestock that can be turned into organic fertilizers, for example, and whose key role in food security has become evident with the current crisis. And this is something we will address also in the forthcoming fertilizer action plan.
And we have announced that the livestock strategy will also contain elements on animal welfare. It will give direction to the concrete animal welfare review that the commission is working on, and on the ways to ensure that future legislative proposals apply the same standards for products produced in the EU and those imported from third countries, also addressing enforcement-related issues and concerns expressed by our EU citizens. And there is another significant chapter of the European Parliament report on which our views align on the animal disease front. We need to do more to prevent outbreaks of animal diseases and to ensure adequate financing for emergency measures, including to enable proper vaccination against important diseases. And current trends are very varied.
You have highlighted it. Budgetary needs for this will remain high in the next cycle. And indeed, the single market program 2025, 2027 provides only part of the needed financial support for the control and eradication of several priority animal diseases. And we are facing a very unfavorable disease situation with higher frequency and intensity of outbreaks, and this puts financial strain, but also existential risks for some farms. And let me finish once again by thanking the European Parliament, and the rapporteur, Carlo Fidanza, for having highlighted the need to do better for the livestock sector, and the commission should soon be in a position as well to respond to that call with a very clear and forward looking strategy.
Thank you.
Well,
Martin Hojsík
Thank you very much, commissioner. Now allow me to pass the floor to Mister Bernhuber on behalf of the PPE. The floor is yours.
President,
Alexander Bernhuber
Commissioner, colleagues, this report on sustainable livestock farming sends a clear signal. Livestock farming is the basis of our food security, of our rural environments as well as of a functioning circular economy. 40% of farm production comes from livestock farming. We've got billions of people working in the sector in mountainous areas, disadvantaged areas, and elsewhere. It is often the only economically viable form of land use.
So it serves not only food production, but also serves to protect the natural environment and rural life. Now in the last 10 years, we have lost almost 9% of our beef herds and 9% of our pig production, and that is why we have to look at the plight of farmers under the age of 40. Now precisely what can be done to change that state of affairs is one that the report addresses, for which we are grateful. And I think the first point that we have to think about is the regulatory overburdening of our farms. And, of course, they need planning security, and they don't need constant changes in legislation, because it costs them thousands of euros.
So it cannot be that we change legislation year in, year out, without thinking about the additional financial burden on farms. Secondly, we need fair trade policies. We can't have the highest animal welfare standards anywhere in the world, and at the same time not call for adherence to those standards for imported products. I believe that is for the benefit of our consumers as well as for our farmers. And I think that consumers have a right to know exactly where their products come from, particularly when products are processed.
I think that there's very clear labeling if you are grilling meat in the summer. It's unfair if you don't know where it has come from, and so that is why we need a very clear indication of countries of origin. There needs to be some coloring and labeling systems, because I think that we're at crossroads, and we need to have a sensible, balanced financial plan for our farms. And so let's use this report as a springboard to point the way ahead for farming for the time ahead. And thank you very much, and I'd be grateful for broad support for this report today.
Good.
Cristina Maestre
Morning. Thank you, President. Some time ago, I read a newspaper article which tried to understand the constant imbalance we're facing, the problem with prices, and diseases. In the future, farmers don't know what kind of life they can offer to their children. And in many cases, they spend more time with their cattle and their families.
That's the only job they know how to do. In reality, they're part of the family. I say this because this is the state of mind that lots of livestock farms in Europe are in. A day doesn't go by without hearing about the suicide of a livestock farmer. And I know that we talked to a commissioner who is very familiar with this sector.
Farmers have to get up early and finish very late. They work at weekends, bank holidays. It's hard for them to find herdsmen. They have to deal with animals all day long, and they often feel extremely lonely. In some regions, we talk about extensive livestock farming, and others is intensive.
Quite simply, they have to make sure there's not enough land available. Both these types of production are part of the European model and their complementarity, as long as they respect our rules. Our farmers produce high-quality, high-nutrition food, part of a balanced diet. Those who don't want to eat animal products deserve, of course, our full respect. And we have to remember, however, that our meat and dairy products are produced according to the highest standards in the world.
This report has all sorts of measures for the livestock sector. It calls for support for families and those in the natural areas, better crisis support, improved access both to credit and to land. The data incurring the threats because of animal diseases. It's important that we recognize the contribution of our farmers to maintaining their landscapes. All of this is taking place in a context in which everybody has tried to put forward this vision, while at the same time seeking common ground.
We should try to avoid those who try to divide us. This is why I'd like to make an appeal here for greater unity in support of a sector which desperately needs the help and support of the European Parliament. In our negotiations with the council and the commission, we should present a united front. Once again, I'd like to call for unity in the parliament. We should abandon populism on this important file.
Finally, I'd like to congratulate all the reporters involved in this important work, in particular Carlos Videnza as the main rapporteur on this report. Thank you very much. Thank you, commissioner.
Valérie Deloge
Commissioner, in Europe, we're closing farms, but we're signing free-trade agreements. We're losing farmers, but we're getting standards. We've lost huge numbers of herds, cows, pigs, sheep, and at the same time, we seem to be continuing in that direction. But I think they're not saying enough in this report. We're not saying enough to support our farmers.
Zero antibiotics, but also XXL environmental standards. But we're not taking into account the products coming from abroad that don't respect all of that. So they are also the ones who protect our landscapes. Consumers don't know where the meat comes from in their ready meals. Labeling is a question of safety and transparency for the consumer, but it also helps the farmers.
The first thing is that we should be producing in Europe, so there should be a kind of moratorium. It's not asking too much. It's just justice. I think this report is an interesting starting point, and I'd like to thank Mister Fidanza for having listened so hard and understood our position throughout working on this file.
Veronika Vrecionová
Thank you, Chair, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues. Let me, first of all, thank Carlo Fidanza for a good quality work. On animal husbandry, I have two topical comments. Firstly, lack of veterinarians in rural areas. Without them, we won't be able to do either prevention or early problem detection.
And, unfortunately, the few we still have are retiring soon, and there is no replacement. This is about animal health, but it is also about food security and production stability. Prevention is always cheaper than crisis management and potentially the liquidation of herds. That's why I call upon the member states and the commission to look for a common solution, not to pass liability from one to the another. Solving this problem must be part of the strategy under preparation.
Secondly, on to local processing. Way too often, we are not able to process foodstuffs where they are generated. As a result, we are losing jobs, added value, and price stability. And we thus weaken our rural areas and the entire food chain. We have to remove unnecessary barriers.
We need to simplify permitting. And also, in a targeted way, we need to support regional processing. Strong agriculture needs a strong support system. Thank you.
Benoit Cassart
Commissioner, dear colleagues, we are set to experience a historic day in decades. We have been living in doubt. We have young people leaving farms, and we have lost a whole generation of farmers. We have reduced our herds that have increased exponentially, but all of a sudden, Europe is starting to wake up. We're finding the narrative is changing, and the debates we have had have allowed us to understand, along with scientific inquiries, just how essential livestock rearing is for biodiversity, the circular economy, food security, as well as the health of our soils.
It also constitutes a source of fertilizer as well as of energy, at a time in which we are subjected to dependence in those sectors. Colleagues, I thank you in advance for your support for this ambitious report on livestock rearing, which calls on the commission to take tangible steps to relaunch a sector and a chain which is part of our strategic autonomy, as a matter of urgency. Long live Europe.
Thank.
David Cormand
You, president. Ladies and gentlemen, the livestock farming sector is in a crisis. And this report doesn't focus on the real deep causes of this crisis by talking about, mentioning contrary truths and looking for scapegoats. We ignore the real reasons. Lactel is a major milk producer, abandons hundreds of dairy producers to focus its milk collection in the most profitable areas.
This kills farmers, but no one wants to talk about it. When a few processors impose their prices, when the supermarkets see their margins exploding, farmers are forced to produce more but are paid less. No one talks about this in the report. We have to change the balance of power in the farming sector. The report doesn't talk about this, however.
Even worse, it suggests that all models are equal. That's simply incorrect. One model means that farmers can make a good living, others kill them. Extensive farming linked to polyculture, linked to local areas, creates jobs. That's completely at odds with the dominant agro-industrial model promoted by multinationals.
We have to make a choice. This text is hypocritical. It shows great complicity with the crisis faced by the farmers. Defending livestock farmers doesn't mean that you have to support those who speculate and exploit farmers. We, as ecologists, defend a different alliance, that of farmers with citizens and the environment.
That should be underpinned by a fair income for those working in farming.
Martin Hojsík
Thank you. Thank you. Now we have Mister Everding for the left. The floor is yours.
Sebastian Everding
Well, let's be honest. How often have I stood here and talked about the terrible suffering of animals in industrial farming, the effects on the environment, on the climate? But this precise system that I've been talking about is also a place of suffering for human beings. We're talking about modern slavery and human trafficking. How often when we talk about animals, do people roll their eyes and shake their heads?
Well, I'd like to encourage you to take on more responsibility and get active. The latest research shows that many people from countries like India have been taken to Germany under false impressions. They're being exploited. They get into debt. They can't afford the rent.
They are living and working under the worst possible conditions and overfull accommodations. They are totally dependent on the people who exploit them. And that's not just one individual case. This is a system that is a form of modern human trafficking, and where animals are brutally killed. We're also taking dignity away from the human beings who have to kill them.
We face wage dumping and suffering. So we can't turn our eyes away. This system is no longer sustainable. We need more than your vision. We need a lot more than that.
We need an end to industrial mass livestock farming. We need stricter controls. We need better protection for workers. We need transparency through the whole production chain. And, of course, we need to support plant-based alternatives.
Millions of people are in favor of stopping exploitation of both animals and human beings. So colleagues, get active for animals, for people, and for the environment. Thank you.
Stanislav Stoyanov
After a number of wrong decisions in the field of agriculture, we are expecting, with a lot of worry, the new livestock strategy of the EU Commission. We hope that this time we'll see clear, specific, and timely solutions to the real needs of the sector. Diseases continue to threaten the production and income of farmers. African swine fever, avian flu, and more exposed the vulnerabilities of the system. We need better prevention, better monitoring, and faster, more coordinated crisis response.
At the same time, farmers are facing increasing pressure, higher energy and feed costs, price instability, and ever more strict environmental requirements. We need reasonable, permanent solutions, as well as a way to deal with our dependence on the import of raw materials. As regards the alternative protein sources, they cannot replace the livestock sector. Often, they are presented as an easy solution, but they carry inherent risks. There are technological challenges, and they erode the trust of the consumer.
Our livestock sector is the lifeblood of a lot of regions. We cannot replace it with ideologies and extreme thoughts. We need to have security. Without food security, we cannot talk about the strategic autonomy of Europe.
Martin Hojsík
Ma'am, this con round of speakers for voting groups. So just to let you know, because we wanna be on time for the votes, I will have to be more strict. There is a courtesy of more tolerance for the speakers in the name of the group. But I'm just gonna warn you that I will sadly have to be a bit more strict, to give you a heads up. Thank you.
Please, Mr. Duffman.
Thank you.
Herbert Dorfmann
Colleagues, livestock rearing is not a modern phenomenon. People have been rearing livestock since time immemorial, but the picture is rather different these days. We have mass livestock rearing. We're talking about massive concentrations which have led to animal diseases, and we also have an issue with the circular economy because we have, of course, high-quality protein as well as fertilizer, which are the byproducts, but we have to ensure that they are taken up into the circular economy. We have livestock rearing, which is a real problem in many parts of Europe.
And faced with that situation, of course, we have to foster both import and exports, but 30% of the area of Europe is permanent farmland and will only survive if there is livestock farming because that is the most sustainable way of preserving this land, because we won't have pastures if we don't have livestock. But we have to look, for example, at mountainous regions. What are people supposed to do in alpine areas if there is no livestock? And that is why we need to have measures under the common agricultural policy to foster sustainable livestock rearing, where there are no real alternatives. Because if there is the climate problem, then sustainable life dog rearing is a sensible part of a circular economy.
Eric Sargiacomo
Oh, miss President, commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the reports which we're voting on today send out a clear message to farmers throughout Europe. We still need you. Human history is intimately linked to livestock farming and the effect this has on nature and the organization of society. Livestock farming, which works hand in hand with other forms of farming, is at the root of the life cycle. Obviously, meat has to have a reasonable part of our diet, but there are a whole series of environmental services produced by farmers, in particular by extensive livestock farms, that we can't do without.
Our food system won't be sustainable if we can't include sustainable livestock farmers. This is why we need to defend our farmers against unfair competition brought about by free trade agreements in which farmers have something to trade. This is why we have to ensure that we can step up the production of vaccines, and fertilizers in Europe. We can't have a strong Europe without a sovereign farming sector, nor indeed can farming be strong without a strong livestock sector. Thank you.
Tomáš Kubín
Thank you, Chair, dear Commissioner, dear colleagues. This report confirms that livestock production is a pillar of our food security. It accounts for 40% of our production, and it is worth €14,000,000,000. Nevertheless, we lost 37% of farmers. And the report shows clearly that it's because of the legislative burden and constant changes of rules, diminish the willingness of farmers to invest.
I would like to emphasize point 10, which suggests stopping the funding of NGOs that could conduct a military. No. No. Militant lobbying against livestock production. The report rejects the promotion of laboratory replacement, which are dependent on chemical inputs.
And then we require mirror clauses and reciprocity. Our farmers must not face unfair competition from those who ignore our standards. We defend common sense, and we defend our farmers. Thank you very much, Mr. Fidanza, for your work.
Bert-Jan Ruissen
Thank you, presidents, colleagues. It's a very good thing that we're seeing a reevaluation of the role of livestock farming. Livestock farmers provide an important contribution to our food chain. They are also a very important pillar in a circular food system. Our sectors are committed to sustainability and efficiency.
And to do that, they draw on the most recent innovations in terms of animal welfare and environmental protection. However, the fact is legislations make it harder and harder for farmers to become sustainable. So we have to create more scope for a circular economy. We need a directive so as to ensure that annual manure can be better used. Secondly, we need more scope for innovation, and research budgets must be provided with the funding they need to promote innovation in the farming sector.
These innovations then must be implemented on farms. Thirdly, we need a fair level playing field. We can't have unfair competition from exports from countries with lower standards.
Thank you, madam Katainen.
Elsi Katainen
Thank you, President. Dear commissioner, an economically viable and sustainable livestock production is a key pillar of Europe's security of supply, self sufficiency, and vibrant rural areas. We must ensure the continuity of livestock production in Europe. Livestock and crop production are seamlessly interconnected, and therefore should not be set against each other. Instead, we should enhance their synergies so that the outcome best serves both sectors.
Furthermore, promoting innovation to add value to products is essential. European high quality, strict animal welfare standards, as well as investments in sustainable development, often go unnoticed. The industry is actively seeking solutions to reduce environmental impacts, for example, by utilizing new technology and environmentally-friendly practices. Instead of blaming, producers deserve a better market price in a situation where production costs are skyrocketing. We, as decision makers and farmers, must act in a way where the young people can choose livestock farming as their area, and we have excellent food on offer in Europe in the future as well.
Thank you.
Sorry. My fault.
Martin Häusling
Colleagues, we've got a lot of big problems in the livestock farming sector. Particularly, we've got a big problem with small farmers who suffer under price pressure. But at the same time, we've got larger concentrations of big companies with mass livestock farming, with terrible consequences for the environment and animal welfare. I've said it again. We've got a big problem with animal diseases, and we need support for those who want to put their animals out on the meadows to pasture.
That's the sort of thing we need for the future. But these kinds of ideas are set to one side in this report. If you read the report, you get the impression that the biggest danger is environmental NGOs and animal welfare groups. You get the impression that they think that getting rid of the rules would be enough to solve all of the problems, but I think it's kind of ridiculous to blame animal welfare groups for the livestock herds decreasing. It's just ridiculous.
You might.
Anja Hazekamp
I have noticed that when you go to a supermarket, you suddenly get the idea that you're being swindled. That's true. You're being swindled by the meat and dairy industries who are selling fairy tales behind attractive packaging, showing smiling cows in green meadows. There's actually an ugly truth. Animals shut up in enormous barns, without daylight, without room to move.
And these false claims about animal welfare are shamelessly repeated here in the European Parliament and presented as the truth, together with claims on climate and biodiversity being peddled by the farming industry. I would like to burst this dream. The livestock industry is never sustainable and never provides welfare. You can't imagine the suffering animals, emissions of CO2, destruction of nature, air pollution, crammed bonds. We can't deny this, and this is something which has been the case in the Netherlands for a long time.
It's one of the most densely populated countries in Europe, but at the same time, a gigantic livestock farm serving the whole world. Never nowhere else animals closed up as much as in The Netherlands. And the European parliament is now calling on member states to maintain slaughterhouses and farms in the most densely populated areas. So we have to reduce the number of animals in mega farms. That would be far better for everybody.
Thank you.
Arno Bausemer
Yeah. President, commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, temperatures are running at about 20 degrees in Europe right now, and we are enjoying sunny weather, so we get the barbecue out of the garage, and then we throw some steaks and sausages onto the hot coals, and there you go. The green climate hysterics are saying that brown coal, that charcoal, is a killer, and they also say that meat serves to boost CO2, and so we're faced with the apocalypse. But the opposite is true. Meat is healthy, and our citizens consumed about 55 kilos of meat, and we have an upward trend.
And so we need to look at the structural problems in our agricultural sector. And I was very pleased to hear from personal experience and from colleague Fedanza that the role of local and regional abattoirs is now being pushed, because it is better to be able to slaughter animals close to where they are reared. And I think that is best for the future of Europe. And, yes, if you have sausage on the barbecue, that's a good sausage.
Sebastian Everding
Can you take a blue card from Mr. Aveding? Colleague, I listened very carefully to your speech. During those ninety seconds I've just calculated, over 2,000 German animals were killed in Germany. So I'd like to ask you where you've got this strange idea that meat is healthy. Scientists can systematically say the opposite.
There's clear evidence that consumption of meat comes with a high risk of cancer. So perhaps you could give us some idea as to where you got your information from.
Arno Bausemer
I was just trying to clarify. I mean, I heard these kinds of things from you often. I don't know what kind of reports you've been reading, but I have read reports that a certain amount of meat is full of protein and very healthy. It is not negative, rather it is something positive. I live in a market economy.
You are all for socialism. You want socialism in agriculture as well, but that is not the way things work in agriculture. It is demand that should determine supply. Europeans want to eat meat, and that is why we want to put in place a structure to ensure that the land can be farmed. Your policies are all headed in the wrong direction, unfortunately.
Maria Zacharia
Today, I'm not speaking generally about animal husbandry. I'm speaking on behalf of people that see the animals to be called, the milk thrown away. The slaughterhouse is closing, and compensation will come late and half. In Greece, more than 500,000 animals have been culled, killed, trying to manage animal disease without prevention, without a very good strategy for vaccination, and not real support. In Lesbos today, whole farms have been slaughtered because we had some cases of foot and mouth disease, and these people are destroyed.
And they're asking, why since we have a vaccine? We don't use all the means. Well, they're not asking for a favor. This is they're asking to be able to live, to have its stuff that can be paid, and to have veterinary services that have people to be able to work, to have just prices for the milk and the right compensation. They're asking for answers, and Europe should use the fund for crisis, support animal husbandry and herds, and to ask for veterinarian aid and to say clearly if we have a vaccination strategy.
Thank you. Now, colleague, Buddha, please.
Daniel Buda
Dear colleagues, between 2014 and 2024, life is about twelve percent. Whether we're speaking of avian flu, blue tongue, or other poorly managed veterinary health crises have hit farms. They lead to higher costs and to a lower production and put a normal pressure on farmers. In many cases, we see standardized measures that are applied rigidly, like quarantine for swine fever over a radius of 10 kilometers, but they're not adapted to reality on the ground. And they, in fact, don't help farmers work.
Unfortunately, we continue to discuss discouraging livestock farming. We see it as a polluting industry that should be punished, not supported. We see policies that increase production costs without real alternatives, ever-higher standards without proportional financial support. And at the same time, we promote policies that discourage meat and milk consumption. We must understand that livestock farming means food security, fire prevention, and keeping the rural areas alive.
Now as we shape the new CAP, we must encourage livestock farming and encourage arable farms to integrate livestock farming in their operations. And at the same time, we need a robust budget tailored to rural realities on the ground. And one more thing, we must change the mindset of some policymakers when it comes to climate change. Farmers are not the problem, but they're the solution. If we lose them, we lose more than an industry.
We lose our identity. Thank you.
Chair,
Maria Grapini
Commissioner, colleagues, today, we're discussing a sector that means much more than a simple strand of agriculture. And I'm happy that you understand this very well, commissioner. And I think, furthermore, you should promote the measures that we are requiring here in the parliament. Animal husbandry is one of our top sectors. We are second worldwide, but we can't keep this up unless we have clear policies.
But our sector is under significant pressure. We see a decrease in numbers, uncertainty about the future, fewer farmers. We see too many farmers facing severe problems, animal diseases. We don't have a fund that's dedicated to farmers when they lose their animals, when there are no vaccines. It's not their fault that we haven't managed to come up with vaccines for all of them.
Of course, another thing is essential. EU producers have the highest cost, and we have to think about this in our trade agreements. Thank.
Martin Hojsík
And, let me just announce that because of a really big number of requests, I'm closing KHDI. Already nine of you requested the possibility to speak. We'll have to see how we are doing with the time, if I can accommodate all. I'll try, but it depends on all the speakers if they are sticking to time. Mister Hauser, the floor is yours.
Thank you, Jean.
Gerald Hauser
Thank you very much. Well, agriculture is doing badly across Europe. Farmers are taking to the streets. Well, if you look at what we've heard so far in this debate, I don't think the farmers are going to feel a lot of hope. I mean, commissioner, you spoke long beyond your speaking time of 4 minutes, but you didn't say anything very tangible.
The situation is terrible. Farmers are falling. Sorry. Prices are falling. $45.50 for a liter of milk.
The production costs are going up. Energy costs are going up. Fertilizers, feed, everything's increasing. That's why farmers are just closing their farms down, and that's partly a result of the terrible policies that were put together in this house. Now there were proposals to basically abolish the CAP, but they want to reduce the amount of money that farmers get.
They wanna basically take money from the CAP away from farmers when they're in a terrible financial situation. Two days ago, in the European Parliament, the Parliament finally asked for a decent CAP. Let's see what comes out at the end.
Of the day. The
Next speaker is Madam Van Leuven.
Jessika van Leeuwen
Thank you, chair, dear colleagues, Commissioner Hanssen. Today, we will be voting on our livestock report, a report I've worked on as shadow rapporteur. So I would like to thank Mister Fidanza for the great report and the fellow shadows for the collaboration. Our report is an important signal to our farmers. The key message is that we should start to trust the innovative power of the livestock industry.
More innovation, less extensification. So we urge the commissioner to stimulate EU-driven innovation to meet our targets. We acknowledge that animal products are a fundamental source of protein. We want to have targeted support in the cup for all livestock producers. We see the importance of livestock-dense areas for the bioeconomy. We call for better possibilities to address large carnivores.
We need a better harmonization on the prevention of animal diseases. We should decrease our dependency on fertilizers by using manure, and we want fair trade deals for our farmers. So I strongly recommend you, Commissioner Hanson, to listen to these points and to take action now. I say let's reform Europe. Thank you.
Christensen.
Asger Christensen
Thank you. I have been a farmer for more than 40 years, and the realities that I'm facing today are significantly different from earlier. We see more and more political pressure, which ultimately could lead to a situation that endangers our food security. It's quite a serious challenge. And in times marked by insecurity, it's more important than ever before that we can produce our own foodstuffs, that we can maintain our production in Europe, and that we can be independent of other countries.
The prices just keep going up. The prices of energy and fertilizers keep going up, and that is the reality faced by many farmers today. We need a strong European agriculture, and we need to ensure a future where farmers can keep producing food for the European citizens. That is the only way to ensure our food security at a European level. Thank you.
Tilly Metz
Dear commissioner Leiva Kristof, dear president, look at me. Yes. I'm a vegetarian, and I have been for many years, and yet I am a healthy woman. And in this report on the future of livestock in Europe, conservatives team up with far-right politicians to bash vegetarianism and veganism, claiming it would not be healthy. Intensive livestock farming harms the environment, driving pollution and climate change.
Processed and red meat increase the cancer risk. Is this healthy for us? If we want to prevent diseases among humans and among animals, ensure food security, and truly invest in the future of Europe, we must shift away from intensive livestock farming to extensive animal welfare friendly systems, and, yes, also to less animal product heavy diets. And to the conservatives, why attack animal welfare NGOs when 84% of the US citizens say animal welfare standards are insufficient? Let's instead support the farmers transitioning to sustainable systems, diversified proteins for their future.
US citizens,
Maria Grapini
Okay. Yes. Fadi Kolleg, I was listening carefully to what you were saying. I have a few questions for you. Do you have statistics on how many people in Europe and worldwide are vegetarian and how many don't eat meat?
And another thing, what do you think we should do in the EU? What could we do if pastures were not used? How many million jobs would we lose, and how much would we lose from the EU budget if we don't use this for the livestock sector? Thank.
Tilly Metz
First of all, with pleasure, I would send you the recent figures on vegetarianism and people that eat meat. And I'm persuaded, and it's not only me, that in order to survive, the farmers need to go into diversification. Also regarding protein production, that is the future, and that is the only one that is sustainable. Do you have the figures how many farmers today have to give up under the pressure of an economic system because they were much too specialized, for example, on livestock farming, and also the consequences to the coast that are there of intensive livestock farming. The future is a transition, an ecological transition.
Thank you very much.
Only thirty seconds. Sorry.
The floor to Mister Arvantines.
Konstantinos Arvanitis
Chairman, commissioner, my dear colleagues, we are living in a contradictory environment. On the one hand, we have the livestock area which is under pressure and threatened by animal disease like it happens in my country and particularly in Lesbos, where there is the danger of destroying the production, one of the biggest islands of the Mediterranean. And I would like to underline on the other hand, the government has led their, the people facing alone, they thought foot and mouth, and disease, the foot and mouth disease. We have scandals, and they're indifferent about the farmers. On the other hand, the commission missus Vaudelaire tried to impose the agreement of the European Union, ignoring the European parliament.
And clear that animal husbandry supports social cohesion. It rejuvenates the countryside and uses low productivity land and gives income and fee and food to the citizens, and contributing to management. And I say, support the production and support our island, Lesbos. Thank you.
Katarína Roth Neveďalová
Thank you very much. And now I'd like to pass the floor to Madam Nevejalova. Thank you very much, mister chair, colleagues. Our farmers can be the saviors also for vegetable production because also usage of manure can be answered to the lack of fertilizers in Europe. But we cannot ask more and more from our farmers: more investment, higher standards, faster periods of adjustment, and yet competing with unstable prices.
We need better support, financial incentives also in the new European budget, because the resilience of farmers also means that they need fair income. We cannot underestimate the risks connected with animal disease. Recent experience has showed us that prevention and prompt reaction, as well as coordination among member states, are of key importance when solving these problems. Investing in veterinary services, vaccines and biosecurity are not an expense, but an investment and protection of our food sovereignty. We also need to deal with the lack of veterinary doctors for animals, and also supporting young people who want to work in farming and food production.
Our consumers want to know where their food comes from, and they will be happily buying European and local products, but they need to be labeled properly, and we need to be very careful about geographic indications. Thank you very much. And now, Mister Hetman, the floor is yours. Thank.
Krzysztof Hetman
You, President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen. The crisis in the past few years showed us that Europe must be independent in such key areas as food production. We need sufficient financial support, agricultural policy support for the farmers, and less bureaucracy for them. What is also important is a responsible approach to all animal diseases, with financial means for early detection, prevention, and development of vaccines. A big challenge is, of course, new trade agreements.
So we should see their compound effect, and we should make sure they have safeguards. We should also make sure that the third-country farmers have to abide by the same standards, including production standards, as our farmers. What is also important is our dependence on feeds from outside the EU. We should have a plan created by the commission here. We need high protein crops to become less dependent on imported plants.
And what we create here must be rational and cannot threaten the sustainability of our sector and our food security. For example, the new law on animal transport is not one of these. So we have to pay attention to all the new laws. Thank you.
Martin Hojsík
Thank you. Now we have Mr. Frankera Rodriguez. The floor is yours. Thank.
André Franqueira Rodrigues
Thank you very much, president, commissioner, colleagues. Europe cannot produce less food. It cannot produce less animal protein. It cannot abandon its farmers. But nevertheless, that is what is happening when we impose costs that our competitors do not have to face, suffocating bureaucracy, and a lack of support when it's most needed.
We need a CAP that protects. We need to have fast responses when there are animal diseases, and we need political clarity above all. The European Union is not an enemy of the climate or an enemy of animal welfare. Rather, livestock farming is part of the solution. This report is not just a question of part of the agricultural policy.
No. We're talking about whole communities, communities that need a new future. Thank you very much.
Martin Hojsík
Thank you very much. Now we have Mister Di Pevin. The floor is yours.
Ton Diepeveen
President, commissioner, ladies and gentlemen. In the Netherlands, animal welfare is important. And the main threat facing farmers, in fact, is actually the energy transition, in particular wind farms. Livestock farmers have faced a problem. Their cows are often subjected to stray voltage, which flows through the ground from wind turbines, and there's good evidence this led to a drop of production for dairy cattle.
So this has. There's been some scientific research into this, but no solutions have been found. So, commissioner, it's important that we made money available to carry out research, and this is something which five professors from the Netherlands and the Belgian supported. This research is very important to understand the way in which wind turbines produce stray voltage, so that measures can be taken to support farmers and to avoid endangering food security. This is a very good way of helping us to fight animal diseases and providing us the president cuts the speaker off.
Martin Hojsík
Thank you very much. Will you accept the blue card from Mr. Sieper? Please.
Thank.
Thank.
Lukas Sieper
you. Thank you, colleague, for accepting my blue card. I think everybody here agrees that the interests of farmers and those of climate protection shouldn't be played off against each other. However, what you just said to me now is quite strange. The idea of electricity from wind turbines flowing through the ground.
Ton Diepeveen
If that were true, not just cattle would be affected, but human beings as well. Perhaps you could tell us exactly how many cases of such stray voltage have been recorded. The president, the member seems to be laughing at this. I think that's quite sad. That might sound stupid to you, sir, but I can guarantee that in both The Netherlands and Belgium, dairy farmers have been facing problems with this form of stray voltage leading to a drop in milk yields.
There's a report which has identified this, and five professors support the results of the research. So what we're calling for now at the European level is funding for research. There have been various farms in Belgium and the Netherlands where farming families have suffered considerably from this. In many cases, they've actually lost their credit lines from banks. So one more comment, present if I may.
So it's quite inappropriate for you to be speaking in this way here.
Thank.
Sergio Berlato
commissioner. As well as for safeguarding our territory, there has been a reduction of 37 in livestock farmers over the last decade because of a loss of profitability, also restrictive standards as well as African swine fever and avian flu. So the structural crisis, which is proving very difficult for our farmers to overcome unless they receive economic assistance immediately from the European community. Thank you very much indeed. Thank.
Barry Cowen
Thank you. Colleagues, we're at a pivotal moment in agriculture. Commission will soon publish their strategy for the livestock sector, and this report offers us a real opportunity to shape it. The livestock sector is not a liability or a problem to be managed. It's the cornerstone of food security, of economic strength, and rural life.
It employs millions across Europe and sustains communities that would otherwise face depopulation and decline. And yet there are those that would have us believe that rural Ireland, for example, is a drain on the economy. That view is not only wrong, it's actually offensive. The people who feed this continent, who maintain our landscapes, who work hard every day, they're not a burden. They are the backbone of society, and the commission's strategy must now reflect that.
Fair prices, strong income support, and a predictable regulatory environment that allows farmers to plan for the long term, that's what we need. We owe it to farmers and to rural communities to now get this strategy right. Thank you.
Pär Holmgren
President, Commissioner Hanson. This report raises the question, how can we secure a sustainable future for European livestock farming? But aren't we asking the wrong question? Shouldn't we be seriously discussing how many animals we want to raise in Europe? First of all, we need to reduce our meat consumption for health and environmental reasons.
There are also very sparsely populated areas, such as in Northern Sweden, where animal farming can contribute important ecosystem services. But not all animals that are raised in the EU contribute to the environment. Rather, they're a huge burden on the ecosystem, and it's a very ineffective system, a very inefficient way of producing food. So how is it possible for this report to completely evade the issue of climate? The climate is a major threat to farmers, and farmers need to get proper support for the transition.
From Mr. Sieber.
Yes. Yeah.
Thank you.
Lukas Sieper
Thank you, colleague, for accepting the blue card. I mean, I think you know that I'm all the way in for saving the climate. At the same time, I love the provision in the rules of procedure that says that the MEPs shall talk about the topic of the debate. So my question to you is how to secure a sustainable future for the EU livestock sector. Thank you very much.
Pär Holmgren
Yeah. I think, the real answer to that in English is to realize that in the future, we probably need a smaller livestock sector, but at the same time to support the farmers to make that transition and produce more vegetable food for us as consumers, and to take that full responsibility right now and see the big picture. Thank you.
Martin Hojsík
Okay. Will you upset the follow-up question? Is there such a role? Thank.
Lukas Sieper
Thank you for the reply, dear colleague. I find one thing about this whole topic very difficult. It's the perspective or to comprehend. It's the perspective of the farmers. Because for the farmers, they look at us and we have been here for thirty years in the European Parliament.
They have been here for thousands of years. They have been there. They have worked the land. They have had their place for many generations. So we need to, if we want them to stop what they're doing, we need to give them something in advance.
So what is the alternative that we could offer to farmers when we say, oh, you should not have these big herds anymore? Thank you.
Pär Holmgren
I hope I was very clear regarding that because that is a central question, of course, and that is to really make sure that they have full support in the transition. No matter if we talk about transition from meat production to vegetables or production away from the fossil dependence they are in today or a transition to more ecological ways of producing with less dependence on all the big chemical industry that the farmers today are so independent on. They're stuck in a system, and for us as politicians, it's up to us to help them get.
Very much.
Thank you very much.
Martin Hojsík
Thank you. Now we have Mr. Konig. Madam Konig, rather. The floor is yours.
Forced air commissioner.
Mme KÖNIG
Present. Commissioner. I'm in support of a Europe where people and companies have security, and security is something which the livestock farming sector has lacked for many years now. Farmers are faced with enormous uncertainty. Every year, new rules with member states, including The Netherlands, create so much red tape that lots of farmers' future is threatened.
Speaker 87
At the same time, there are all sorts of developments in the new sector, for example, but they take a long time to come through. So certainty is more important than ever. For our inhabitants, we need to maintain food security. Farmers have to be transmitted from generation to generation. Sustainability also requires economic sustainability.
Speaker 85
Farmers can only continue to work if they can make a reasonable income. Their costs must be reasonable. This is why we need a stable policy for the livestock farming sector. Policy must ensure that farmers can invest in sustainability and innovation, but they will actually not lose money because of that.
Maria Noichl
Colleagues, securing a sustainable future for the livestock farming sector is very close to all our hearts, and I'm all for it. And I think that the majority of people outside this house also say yes. I'm all for meat and dairy, but at the same time, I'm also saying that we need more plant-based food, and we also need extensive pastoral farming, and we need to provide food security bases in Europe, and we need fair prices for our farmers as well. Of course, we do. I am in favor of a scientific basis for this, and I am opposed to attacks on scientists because they are the basis.
And it is quite clear that we need NGOs. We need our animal welfare NGOs, but also those who are active in the farming sector as well. So I'm all for them, as well as for farming organizations. So don't pretend that you have to be for or against farms. That's not what it's about.
It's about how we do things better, and how we move into the future with livestock farming.
Mireia Borrás Pabón
Commissioner,
First of all, I'd like to congratulate Mister Fiddanza for this excellent report. We would, of course, be voting for the report. It makes a very essential point, which is that livestock farming is a strategic sector for Europe. I must say, by listening to this debate, I've got the impression I'm listening to a play at the theater. We're talking about the livestock farming.
Well, the farmers are outside working, and they recognize, in many cases, the European part is their worst enemy. Why do I say this? Because we're talking about the profitability, while at the same time allowing their cost to increase. The fact is Europe has lost about 40% of its farmers in 20 years. We're talking about animal diseases.
At the same time, we're opening the door to imports which fail to respect our health and environmental standards. We talk about food sovereignty, while at the same time negotiating agreements which destroy our countryside. Moreover, here in the parliament, you say you're defending livestock farmers, while at the same time you vote in favor of Mercosur so as to replace our farmers with farmers from Brazil. So do we have the president banging his gavel.
Joachim Stanisław Brudziński
Thank you very much, President. To begin with, I'd like to thank Mr. Fidanza, for this excellent report, especially that this document is very necessary. Now in the last years, we see a trend in Europe that questions the importance of agriculture and the production of meat. One of the tools of this propaganda is regulation on novel foods.
And this way, the commission is fighting the European cultural tradition and food tradition. We don't want changes. We don't want to replace meat with novelty foods made of insects. We don't want to be proposed innovative products disguised as innovation. We don't want more experiments on European consumers.
Christine Singer
President. Commissioner. On our farms, the next generation is about to take over my daughters. So it's not just a question of abstract politics. It's a question of the future.
Livestock farming is not a problem that we have to discuss to oblivion, but rather it's essential for the future of our circular economies and for living rural areas. We need reliability now for companies, for young people who want to take responsibility. This report sent out an important signal. More prevention for animal diseases, better provision of vaccines, more support from science and research, and more transparency through clear origin labeling. But it's also a message to the farmers of Europe, which is to say, we need you.
You have a future. The commission is now announcing a livestock strategy for July, so that is good. I will be voting in favor of this report for our future, for the future of my daughters, and for the future of the farming sector. Thank you.
Martin Hojsík
Thank you very much. Now,
Excuse me. We don't have English interpretation. Interpretation. Just wanna check with the booth if everything is.
Please ask the speaker to continue.
Martin Hojsík
Okay. You I would like you to start to be fair. It would not be nice to please start again. Yeah.
Vicent Marzà Ibáñez
Very well. Thank you very much indeed for some of the members on the far right who have already left, because apparently they're not really interested in the plight of our farmers. The problem is not that they earn a pittance, nor the multinationals who buy them out, but apparently, the problem is the evil ecologists. I mean, this is ridiculous because we need to come up with real solutions to real problems to help our farmers and make sure that they are paid what they are owed. And consumers really need to know exactly what they pay, what proportion of it goes to farmers.
And we need to talk about our response to lumpy skin disease, and all the sacrifices that are being made. And, also, the problem with making sure that there is no unfair competition, which our farmers will suffer from. These are the real problems. We have to have a level playing field. Same rules across the board.
We need to have animal welfare, as well as fair prices. And whether you like it or not, we also have to fight against the monopolies of the big multinationals, who really are the enemies of small farmers. And so that is why we need to really talk about the plight of our small farmers who are out there on their own. So let's have deeds, not words.
Maria Walsh
There is one topic that is rarely discussed in this house, a natural resource that remains underused despite its clear economic and environmental value, and that is wool. Legal barriers to handling, marketing, and exporting wool are preventing farmers from using it effectively or restoring its value. Across Europe, particularly in Ireland, the wool industry has nearly disappeared, and prices have fallen so low that farmers can no longer cover the cost of shearing. As a result, wool is piling up on farms, unused, undervalued, and treated as a waste. And this is a narrative we so desperately need to change.
Commissioner, while not in your direct wheelhouse, I ask your support in removing regulatory barriers within the outdated animal byproduct rules, so farmers, particularly our sheep farmers, can access practical, workable solutions. In Ireland and across Europe, we understand the value of what we produce, and this has to be reflected. Our sheep sector has to be respected in our upcoming CAP. Wool is certainly not a waste, and it's time our policies reflect that also. Thank you very much.
Thank you for the 18 seconds.
Now madam, wanted to full resource.
Thank you for the tech committee.
Speaker 101
Thank you, President. Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen. I'd like to talk now about the future of livestock farming. It's important that we have this debate because, let's be honest, the EU is burying its own farmers alive. They're subjected to more and more rules under the so-called Green New Deal, and they are now faced with a threat of a Mercosur agreement, which will come into force tomorrow, May 1, without having received the approval of this parliament.
Speaker 109
This means we've now opened the door for the import of products which fail to comply with the standards which we impose on our farmers, increasingly strict rules, I would say. And that threatens the future of the sector. Food security starts with producing on your own land. If we really do want to opt for quality and high standards, we have to ensure that production is focused here and not elsewhere. And we also have to act wisely when it comes to animal welfare.
Speaker 100
We have to use vaccination and prevention. So rather than slaughtering whole herds, sustainable farming requires fair competition, a fair framework, and above all, trust in our.
thank you very much. Now, Mister Storm.
Thank.
Kristoffer Storm
Thank you very much. Thank you, first of all, to Carlo for the great report. It's a very important topic, and it's important that we talk about this. We cannot create a strong continent on an empty stomach. That's a quote from Commissioner Hanssen last year in Munich, and he was completely right.
You also cannot defend a continent on an empty stomach, and that's why our food production is so vital and must be an absolute top priority in Europe. And the production of meat is the backbone of that in Europe. And that's why it's so important that we ensure some conditions that allow the European farmers to continue to grow their farms, that allow us to continue to build stronger rural areas, and create thousands of jobs across Europe. So even though the people on the left wing keep talking about how we should all just eat beans exclusively and remove meat production from Europe, they should remember one thing. The only thing that costs is jobs, and the production will not stop.
Martin Hojsík
It will just continue elsewhere in the world. Thank you. Mr. Taylor.
Thank you very much, Naomi.
Jérémy Decerle
At a time when the availability of mineral fertilizers becomes increasingly a source of concern, how can we underestimate the role of livestock farmers in Europe? European farming needs to evolve. But if we look at the facts, it's still the most productive, diversified, and sustainable farming sector in the world. Why is it then that farmers are subjected to such a barrage of criticism? One part of the answer is the fact that some members of the European Parliament are particularly skilled at looking for problems rather than solutions.
The reports we'll be voting on today have one point of merit at least. It seeks to solve some of the fragilities affecting our farmers. Livestock farmers must be respected. We must see them as a strategic sector, which is one of the linchpins of the agricultural sector. European identity is partially based on its high production standards.
Let's protect them. Don't need us to teach them how to do their job. What we do need, however, like all other farmers, is support, and we should look after those farmers who are left. And please never forget that.
Emmanouil Kefalogiannis
Ladies and gentlemen, colleagues, thousands of animals have been culled. Millions of euros is the loss for our farmers, and this is the tough reality that we're living through today in Lesbos with the appearance of the foot and mouth disease in Thessaly and the whole of Greece with the appearance of pox of the animals. And the question is a crucial one. How ready are we in Europe to protect our farmers, our production, and our food security? The diseases do not know borders.
They do not respect geographical limits and differentiation, and the consequences are catastrophic. The cons, the culling of animals, is the abolition of the efforts of a life and the end of a productive continuation that goes from generation to generation. Compensation is necessary, but not enough. What the farmers need is immediate economic support in order to reconstruct their heads. Europe has to act immediately without finding excuses and delay.
Thank you very much for your attention.
Gilles Pennelle
Well, first of all, congratulations to Mr. Ferdanza for his report. He tells us that what we need for this essential sector for our food sovereignty is that we need to turn our back on the policies that have been pursued by Brussels for years, absurd rules. For example, the rules that consider farming buildings to be similar to industrial buildings. We need to put an end to unfair free trade agreements that put our farmers at a disadvantage. Some people might not like to hear it, but our farmers are the best in the world for animal welfare.
There are a lot of people who are opposed to meat consumption in the corridors of Brussels, but I would like to flag up insistently that there can only be a future for the sector if we break with this idea of degrowth that enemies of agriculture, enemies of our way of life and our identity are pursuing. So more than ever, we need to support our farmers.
Well, thank you very much. Now, madam. The floor is yours.
Thank.
Nora Junco García
Thank you very much, president, commissioner, and congratulations, Carlo, because this report gives priority to competitiveness and food sovereignty. Now we're talking about the future of livestock farming. Fortunately, we are doing so because if you look at farmers and we look at emissions, we look at filling out forms and regulations, and look at all of the areas that have been viewed by this text. And if we look at farm spending, which accounts for 30% of the CAP, and finding a response which is commensurate with the scale of the problem. And this is what it is about because, of course, we have to produce as much rice as we need, for example, and we need a situation which moves away from being a Europe of dependency.
And we need to have a fairer and more just system, because if we lose our farmers, then we lose our food security. So you should take careful note of this, commissioner, because if we don't have a budget, then we are going to not only use farms, but also our rural.
Ciaran Mullooly
Hey, colleagues. Let's be honest about it. As human beings, we have all long benefited from meat consumption. Livestock production has stood the test of time because it delivers on quality, nutrition, and, face it, food security in Europe. But we must remove emotion from this debate.
Innovation has a place, but it must be based on facts, science, and respect for farmers, the part-time ones and the full-time farmers, minister and commissioner. This report outlines the real pressures: regulation, market volatility, animal disease, and declining livestock numbers. Disease alone is placing a huge strain on already vulnerable farm incomes. Market turbulence is now a defining challenge. The EU Mercosur trade agreement, which comes in tomorrow despite our democratic decision in this house not to approve it yet, this will oppose EU farmers in their own in to unfair competition and lower standards.
This is not speculation. If we are serious about food security, livestock must remain central to our system. Eurostat is clear, commissioner. Livestock numbers in the EU are declining at an alarming rate, and in Ireland alone, it's almost 1,000,000 livestock. Without action, we risk losing our capacity to feed ourselves.
Martin Hojsík
Well, thank you very much. And now, madam Imart, the floor is yours.
Céline Imart
Thank you, President, Commissioner. I would like to congratulate Mr. Ferdinand on his work. This report puts a name on the emergency of saving a sector that is essential to our territories, and it presents a vision for livestock farming. There's a permanent state of crisis for our farmers. There are lots of people proposing artificial meat or some kind of plant-based alternatives, but this puts things in proportion.
Farmers are not climate sinners. They are not morally defective. No. They provide an essential service that cannot be fully replaced by substitutes. I am concerned about the money being given by NGOs that place question marks over our mode of livestock farming from the perspective of animal welfare or the environment.
But I think it's time to act. We need to defend our farming sector, and the commission's strategy will be welcome. We need to stop the decline, and thank you very much.
Marie Dauchy
Well, I'm hearing all kinds of statements about managing animal disease in the future of European farming. But allow me, ladies and gentlemen, your commissioner, to perhaps bring you back down to reality because last summer, we had an outbreak of lumpy skin disease, and our farmers had to deal with it by themselves. They were alone in the face of an emergency and all their losses, and we had members of the Greens, who are now opposing the way in which that crisis was managed. Now on paper, of course, we talk about resilience, but out in the field, they are abandoned to their own devices. And we have to manage crises at European level, but we fail to compensate those who actually suffer them.
But we cannot wait. Farmers cannot wait. They cannot live on promises and in terminal procedures. So you have to show your responsibility first and foremost. You have to have just fair competition, true health protection, and immediate support from those who are still standing, because it's not your speeches that will feed Europeans.
Rather, it is our farmers, and they can wait no longer. Thank you.
Thank you very much.
Georgiana Teodorescu
To organizations such as WWF and Agent Green, everyone in Romania has heard of Arthur the bear. Unfortunately, precisely because of these organizations and the policies they've pushed all the way to Brussels, no one in Romania knows that the shepherd who was eaten alive by the bear was named Mihai, and now he has a son who grows up without a father. Likewise, no one will remember the 11-year-old girl snatched from her parents' yard by the bear, the 14-year-old girl attacked by a bear in front of her apartment building, or the 20-year-old woman eaten alive last year, just as no one here is talking about the hundreds of bear attacks on livestock breeders and farmers in mountains and even plateau regions. There are 12,000 bears in Romania or more. No other EU country wants to take them in, but everyone is keen to lecture us on how to protect them.
My message today is for Yonuts, the son of the shepherd killed. You know, your father was a hero, a hero who worked tirelessly and unfortunately lost his life because of us in Brussels and in the Romanian government failed to create policies that put people first, not bear.
Martin Hojsík
Well, thank you very much. And now, Mister Wiezik, the floor is yours.
Michal Wiezik
Thank you very much, mister chair. Ladies and gentlemen, animal breeding has an irreplaceable role and also brings its negatives. Let's not pretend that is not a problem. If we pretend this, we are, first of all, harming the farmers. Examples from the Netherlands, Spain and other countries show us what is the direction where we go when we do an unregulated intensive production. We harm the environment, and we expose our weaknesses.
An ideological report is uncritically promoting the consumption of meat as the only just way, and it underestimates other alternatives, small stocks. And also, it tries to regulate, deregulate essential norms. This is not a picture of the future. This is a single-sided malfunctioning approach. What we need is a realistic approach.
We need to support sustainable and nature-based farming, where our main objective will be the health of our citizens, the respect to the limits of the environment, and decision-making based on facts. Thank you. Thank you very much.
Nina Carberry
Thank you, madam president. As we heard yesterday, Europe is facing a €27,000,000,000 energy surge. Family farms, quality, affordable food, and rural communities are under real strain. The livestock sector, the focus of this debate, is bearing the brunt. It is one of agriculture's most exposed sectors, with much of its overheads tied to feed, fertilizer, and other inputs.
In Ireland's case, I welcome Minister Hayden's ongoing work on the 100000000 support scheme announced yesterday and the European Commission's move to ease state aid rules. But short-term supports, whether it's national or European, will not solve the bigger problem. We must address the root causes. We need to look at the next cap as an opportunity to bring down energy costs, and we need to use the upcoming negotiations to expand on farm energy generation, whether it's solar for milking and cooling or manure going into anaerobic digesters. We need more homegrown, reliable energy sources supported by Europe, because sustainable livestock and our agri-food sector depend on it.
Costas Mavrides
Thank you, madam chair, commissioner. We have a report that creates many expectations. It proposes measures for the future of the livestock sector in Europe. As we're talking now, we have a livestock and health big problem with foot and mouth disease in Cyprus and it became a political crisis, more specifically. The farmers in the free areas implement your directives, your protocols, and they call thousands of animals.
But in the occupied area of Cyprus, these measures are not implemented. So, direct question. This is the situation. Will this disease continue, and the farmers who follow your directives be punished repeatedly while those in the occupied areas deny? They don't accept implementing these directions.
Question, this is just a facing of the problem. Are you going to take some measures? All the funds will continue going to the occupied area of Cyprus. And how the what happens with the food produced in the occupied area? You are responsible, commissioner.
Do you think that this treatment is just yes or no? Thank.
Thank.
Sigrid Friis
you. I think we could do much better, and I think we owe it to the European farmers to actually consider the situation in the world, and the problems that they are facing. The challenges faced by European farms isn't about whether you're allowed to talk about veggie burgers. The problems are much more extensive. Droughts, climate change have huge and serious consequences for our farmers.
So let's talk about that, instead of just twisting the debate onto something else. Let's talk about what it actually means to have strategic autonomy. Is it actually a good idea to import tons of soy from the South of America and then just turn around and sell cheap European produced meat to China? I don't believe that that's the best future for European agriculture, but that means that we need to be stronger and implement better rules. And when we spend such a huge part of the budget, 13, in fact, on agriculture, then I think we could we also owe it to the farmers and the citizens who care about the green transition and health.
Thank you very much, Missus Meran de Paris.
Ana Miranda Paz
A Galician member of parliament, I represent one of the most important livestock farming countries in Europe. We are very concerned by the health sector affecting the Galician livestock sector. Commissioner Hanson, I would like to say that it's a shame that you wouldn't meet the head of the Galician opposition party on March 2. I hope you meet her again in the future. I say this because we have a series of very clear proposals to make, as well as information regarding the real-life situation in the livestock sector, rather than the distorted vision given by the Galician government.
An example, commissioner, whenever emerging diseases emerge, we've been told we have to immunize the animals. Lumpy skin disease is a very major threat to the meat and dairy sector. It's also a threat when it comes to food security, so we have to vaccinate livestock. So the Galician government has no plan for this. So, commissioner, it's important that we make this criterion more flexible.
I hope they'll be able to address this in our next meeting with you. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Andrew Kaites.
Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis
Dekoye, Piedmontenkoye.
Thank you, President, Commissioner. Recently, you visited Lithuania, and we got to know the situation in the Lithuanian agriculture, dairy economy, production of meats. Having a dramatic situation in Lithuania, it is obvious that we have to think not only sectoral programs and points that could be recommended to member states. We have to preserve this sector. This is one of the biggest segments in food security. It has to be brought into the circular economy in preserving the environment.
And animal welfare standards have to be applied based on scientific criteria, not on the basis of pressure.
animal. Mister Nemoghu.
Cynthia Ní Mhurchú
Commissioner Hansen: Securing a sustainable future for the EU livestock sector is long overdue. Europe is hemorrhaging livestock farmers. Farmers are shutting up shop and taking to the streets. Why? Simple.
Food prices are going down. Production costs, energy, fertilizer, etc., they're soaring. Also, EU red tape is choking them, and animal disease is destroying them. But we need our farmers, especially our young farmers. Why?
Well, we need a strong European agricultural sector for food security, environmental protection, citizens' health and well-being, the circular economy, and living rural communities that we represent. So, commissioner, my message to farmers, Irish and European, is clear and simple. We need you. You have a future. We have your back, and we'll create a level playing pitch, and that means no to Mercosur beef.
Gramagi.
Nicolaou Albanos.
Mister Nikolaou-Alavanos.
Lefteris Nikolaou-Alavanos
The farmers in Lesbos, they see that they're burying their animals, and the government doesn't listen to their request for compensation. And they are asking for vaccination so they don't have to kill their animals. First, their animals were not protected from the foot and mouth disease, and then the European Union, the government imposed a lockdown. It was irrational. These are directions of the common of the cap.
Carlo Fidanza
They try to promote exports, and they strangled the island, so they don't change the certificates of feta. And we have one of 500,000 animals killed because of pox, animal pox in Greece. We also want to support the farmers. They're demanding now full compensation to replace their lost income, measures to protect such as vaccination, and have more veterinarians and a program to reconstruct the lost herds, responsibility and financing of the state.
Mister.
Vigenin.
Kristian Vigenin
Thank you, President, Commissioner. Livestock is a strategic sector for the union and for the livelihood of millions of farmers. Infectious diseases continue to challenge us gravely, with extremely grave economic and social consequences. And, of course, culling is the obvious solution, but it is too easy, and I would say outdated and rather expensive to both the farmers and to society at large. Modern veterinary science has alternatives, vaccines, early diagnosis, etcetera.
The fever affecting small ruminants in Bulgaria in 2017, etcetera, have shown that we need a more enlightened modern approach. That is why we appeal to the commission to invest more into research, in proportionate measures, and in an integrated disease management in future farming strategies. Thank you.
Christophe Hansen
Thank you, madam president, and indeed, thank you for the input that all of you have delivered. And indeed, the forthcoming livestock strategy will identify ways to promote a livestock sector that is competitive at a global level, resilient to crisis, and sustainable while also remaining respectful of Europe's territorial diversity and citizens' expectations, and recognizing as well the European excellence. But, let me reply to some of your comments. Maybe the first on Maria Walsh, I indeed agree on the importance of wool as a buy product and its value as well for farmers. And we included it in the bioeconomy strategy as one of our lead markets under textiles.
And, we also propose a cap network focus group on rule processing, as well, to have this as a new income possibility for our farmers. And I will as well, take your point, Maria, to discuss with my colleague, Oliver Varelli, who, as it concerns the animal byproduct law. Christina Maestre, you also highlighted the difficulties that the farmers have. And when we speak about generation renewal, of course, farmers and new farmers compare their lives with the life of other people and in the society. And therefore, we need to work on the well-being, and that is why we have proposed as well for the future CAP, the farm relief services, in order to let as well, people, take holidays from time to time because as you mentioned, it is a job, three hundred sixty-five days a year.
And every day, you have to be there, but they need as well, from time to time, to switch off. And, also, in more difficult regions, as highlighted by Alex Bernhuber, but as well Herbert Toffman, we have proposed coupled support for livestock in regions especially, and we have raised this to make it possible. And as well, this is very important when we speak about the prevention of wildfires. For example, the animal and the livestock play a very crucial role. And, as well, others have mentioned the importance of other byproducts, and to the utility, especially in this crisis when it comes to fertilizers.
And we have organic material. We underuse it, and I think there is way more in. And therefore, I will present as well on May 19 the fertilizer action plan, which will as well give direction of how we can make better use of this. So I will propose actionable points at the EU, at member states, and as well at local level. And, we have, of course, discussed this very closely with the sector, and with other actors.
Carlo Fidanza
And, I think it's very important that we have a territorial approach, territorial solutions. And in this sense, your input of going through this report is very valuable. Thank you very much for helping to make our sector more competitive, more resilient, and as well more sustainable for the future. Thank you.
Thank you very much, Commissioner Hans. And now I'll give.
The floor back to the rapporteur, Mister Fidanza.
Carlo Fidanza
Thank you very much indeed, President. And I should like to thank all colleagues for their valuable contributions to the debate. Had some very interesting things, and we touched on a broad range of issues, and is that we need targeted support, not generic support. Some colleagues flag the importance of a generational change. It's something we address in the report.
In order to ensure the future of the sector, it has to be passed down to young farmers the skills, know-how, as well as the means to survive, particularly in the most difficult areas, mountainous and landlocked areas. We also talked about the equal distribution in the value chain, particularly in the dairy sector, but we should not only be working to recognize fair prices for our producers, for our farmers. We should also be seeking to make a real effort with this report, and that is to overcome any of our ideological positioning, which, to my thinking, will not help us to find real solutions to real problems. We need to not pit intensive and extensive farming against each other. Rather, we need to make an effort to make intensive farming more sustainable, but that is based on a fundamental premise, and that is that we cannot forego animal protein or livestock farming.
We need meat, and we need meat in a sustainable fashion. We should also be mindful of environmental issues. We should retain production in Europe, and we also need imports where necessary, which respect our standards and which are based on the principle of reciprocity. This is one of the key messages in this report. Besides, we also look at the importance of research and development.
We worked very hard on that aspect, and we should join together in defending that. I'm thinking here in particular of the issue of the European Contempt Competitiveness Fund, which has earmarked specific resources precisely for this. So we should also be championing a holistic approach to agriculture, as well as the agri feedstuffs industry, and include that in the European Union's innovation policies. And finally, I should like to thank the commissioner for having been very mindful of our concerns when it comes to fertilizers in particular, and we are very much looking forward to the plan of action for fertilizers, for digestates, as well as for organic fertilizers, a matter of urgency. So finally, thank you very much indeed for your patience.
What I can tell you is that here today, with this report, we can send out a very hard-hitting message on behalf of our European producers and tell them that they are not on their own in this, that we will stand beside them and look to their need.
Kristian Vigenin
Thank you very much. That concludes the debate. The vote will take place today. Let's move on to the next item on the agenda, which is the report from Missus Lukachevska, women's entrepreneurship in rural and island areas, and outermost regions. You have the floor.
Thank.
Elżbieta Katarzyna Łukacijewska
Thank you very much, madam president, commissioner. First of all, I'd like to thank the shadow reporters from all groups for constructive cooperation. Today, we're talking about millions of European women that live and work in rural, island, and uttermost regions. They are carrying out work and developing local markets, but their potential is not used to the full. Only 34% of entrepreneurs per entrepreneurship in Europe are women.
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And in rural areas, this share is much smaller. Women have lower incomes and lower pensions. Why does this happen? It is not a lack of ambition, skills or talents. It is a question of barriers that are very tangible, lack of access to financing or loans, or support to start their businesses.
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Also, lack of access to information about possibilities of financing. Very often, it is also lack of access to soil networks and also a question of overcoming stereotypes. So if we want to talk seriously about the competitiveness of Europe, we cannot ignore these challenges. It's not only a question, a social question, it is a question of loss, economic loss to the entire union. Therefore, this report is a practical, pragmatic report, not based on declarations, but on solution.
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