Without farmers, there’s no food.

Farmers work hard to provide us with food. Day in, day out, with hardly any holidays or breaks. We all know that - and that is why they deserve to earn a decent income.

Right now, farmers are in distress. The profiteering in our food-system has reached its limits, with powerful agri-companies and supermarket chains making billions while most farmers struggle to make ends meet.

We see the symptoms of this broken system all around us: from extremely low wholesale prices, disappearing family farms and increasing mental and physical health problems to deteriorating nature and more extreme weather events.

Politicians that pretend there is a contradiction between nature and farming are trying to hide their own failure. They are lying. There is no contradiction - farming and nature can only work hand in hand. Farmers know that in their hearts. And it is up to us to make that possible.

1. Let farmers earn a fair income
   Farmers need to be able to earn a fair income to support their families. While prices are rising, multinationals rake in profits but are paying less to farmers. We need to break the power of the big corporations in the food industry.
2. Don’t harm farmers in trade agreements
   Make sure farmers are not victims of free trade agreements. We need to stop unfair competition with imported food with lower standards from far away.
3. Make EU agricultural policy fair for all farmers, not only for the biggest
   The current European agricultural policy - designed by christian democrats, liberals and social democrats, and with the support of the extreme right - hugely favours big agroindustry and disadvantages small farmers. 80 % of the subsidies goes to 20 % of the largest companies. We need to end this unfair practice.
4. Decrease bureaucracy for farmers - while protecting nature.
   Farmers know best how to work alongside nature - they are already the first ones dealing with the consequences of climate change. But the more complex regulations are, the harder it is for farmers to comply. We need to work together with farmers to give them workable solutions that strengthen nature.

Show your support to our farmers. Add your name to our statement.

Terry Reintke 🇩🇪
Philippe Lamberts 🇧🇪
Co-presidents Greens/EFA in the European Parliament

Rosa D'Amato 🇮🇹
Margrete Auken 🇩🇰
Benoît Biteau 🇫🇷
Martin Häusling 🇩🇪
Sara Matthieu 🇧🇪
Tilly Metz 🇱🇺
Jutta Paulus 🇩🇪
Kira Marie Peter-Hansen 🇩🇰
Manuela Ripa 🇩🇪
Thomas Waitz 🇦🇹
Greens/EFA Members of the European Parliament