Farmers welcome EU support, but say more is needed

Agriculture ministers of France and Spain support the Commission’s announcement of €125m aid package, but warn that it may not be enough to help farmers cope with Russian food ban.

Farmers from across the European Union have welcomed the European Commission’s decision to provide €125 million to help fruit and vegetable producers who have been hurt by a Russian ban on EU food imports, although they warned that more funds would be needed.

“It is a step in the right direction, but it is hard to tell whether or not it will be successful,” said Piet Vanthemsche, the chairman of the Belgian federation of farmers, the Boerenbond. But he added that the measures should be considered a “first package” given that exports of pears from Belgium to Russia are worth between €100m-€120m a year.

The Spanish federation of associations of producers and exporters of fruits, vegetables, flowers and live plants, known as Fepex, called on the Commission to increase its support for the agricultural community. It argued that the aid package would not cover the fall in sales of nectarines and peaches.

The Commission yesterday (18 August) announced that it would provide financial support for producers of perishable fruit and vegetables who stand to lose money as a result of Russia’s ban on imports of many EU food products. Food exports from the EU to Russia were worth €11 billion last year.

Fruit and vegetable producers are especially vulnerable to the ban as they are unable to delay harvest and have limited options for conserving their produce or finding new customers.

The Commission is also concerned about fruit and vegetables that are not exported to Russia being sold on the EU market instead, lowering prices for farmers. Therefore the financial assistance will be used to buy food items, which will be distributed to hospitals and schools or will be destroyed.

Spanish producers warned yesterday that prices for fruits and vegetables in Europe had already begun to fall as a result of the Russian ban, announced on 7 August. Isabel García Tejerina, Spain’s agriculture minister, said that it would be clear “very soon” whether more aid was needed.

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Spanish producers of citrus fruits warned that they would also suffer from the Russian sanctions and called on the Commission to include them in the list of producers eligible to receive aid.

Albert Jan Maat, chairman of the Dutch federation of agricultural workers, LTO Nederland, welcomed the aid, although he made it clear that the money was “provisional”.

Stéphane Le Foll, France’s minister for agriculture, described the Commission’s decision as “good news”, although he said that the French government would remain vigilant as to whether new measures needed to be taken. Le Foll and his counterparts from Germany and Poland are scheduled to review the aid on 2 September.

Jacques Rouchausse, president of the French vegetable association Légumes de France, said that it was clear from the wide scope of the Russian embargo that €125m will not be enough. “Producers should be compensated for their losses,” he said.

EU agriculture ministers will meet on 8 September to review the effects of Russia’s ban.