The General Farmers Union (ABS) is calling on Belgian Minister of Agriculture Hilde Crevits (CD&V) to distribute the €6 million in aid from the European Commission fairly among farmers and agricultural sectors affected by sanctions against Russia.
A total of €6.27 million in aid has been earmarked for Belgian farmers, and ABS says Crevits should act quickly when it comes to its disbursement, according to the Flemish Infocentre for Agriculture and Horticulture (VILT).
“First of all, the sectors affected by the various sanctions against Russia and Belarus must be supported,” said ABS advisor Mark Wulfrancke.
“The fruit sector is again confronted with export restrictions, particularly for trade with or going through Belarus. We ask that all possible support measures be activated and that this time all fruit growers be treated equally, with no distinction made between members of producer associations and non-members.” Non-members are colloquially known as 'free growers'.
Non-members of producer associations recall previous unfair treatment
ABS said that in previous sanctions imposed against Russia, such as in 2014-15 with the annexation of Crimea and the war in the Donbas, non-members of producer associations received just half of what association members received.
“That was perceived as very discriminatory on the ground,” Wulfrancke said. “Common sense must prevail.”
The ABS reacted overall with disappointment to agricultural decisions from the European Union, including the choice to temporarily allow food and feed crops to be grown on land designated as an Ecological Area of Interest (EAG).
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“That does not help Flanders, because there is hardly any set-aside land here,” Wulfrancke said.
“That is why we are asking that the Minister of Agriculture quickly enter into consultation with her colleague from the Environment Zuhal Demir (N-VA) in such a way that an extra interpretation can be given to the EAG plots.”
EU is too slow to act, say farmers
ABS also criticised the speed of the EU’s decision making process.
“The problem is that Europe is not prepared to move quickly, which means that decision-making will take a long time,” said Wulfrancke, adding that the EU is lumping all European farmers together and dogmatically insisting on a number of issues, which ultimately makes food security and access uncertain.
Wat een oorlog op Europees grondgebied doet met de prijs van een basisproduct als tarwe. #voedsel #nofarmersnofoodnofuture #StandWithUkraine️ pic.twitter.com/lYVGjSZggh
— Hendrik Vandamme (@HendrikABS) March 4, 2022
“Europe doesn't seem to care about the less fortunate. Apparently, all the signals sent out by the FAO, the United Nations World Food Organisation, and by specialists in geopolitics are not enough to shift gears now and let common sense prevail,” Wulfrancke said.
They warn that the promised support package will not be able to solve all problems, including increased energy and production costs.
