Por Redaccion 
The European Commission has launched a series of measures this Wednesday to support the primary sector in Europe, responding to the demands of farmers and livestock breeders with a ‘roadmap’ to make the sector more attractive with measures to prevent producers from selling below cost price, reviewing new bans on the use of pesticides and pesticides and studying the coherence of the measures demanded for imports from outside the European Union.
In a battery of measures framed within the ‘vision of agriculture and food’, Brussels nods to the complaints raised by farmers and breeders in line with the ‘simplification’ of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
«The sentiment was strongly expressed through demonstrations across Europe last year, even in Brussels, demanding dialogue and action from the European Commission,» acknowledged the Executive Vice President, Raffaele Fitto, in a press conference from Brussels.
According to him, this ‘roadmap’, promised by Ursula von der Leyen for her first hundred days in office, contains a strategic action for the agricultural and food sector and represents a «firm response» to the request for help from European farmers.
BATTERY OF MEASURES TO HELP PRODUCERS
Specifically, the European Executive promises measures so that farmers are not systematically forced to sell their products below production costs, something that affects the entry of new workers into the sector.
Thus, it will work on revising the directive on unfair commercial practices, while presenting a strategy to attract young people to the primary sector, considering it a problem that less than 12% of EU farmers are under 40 years old.
In addition, Brussels takes up the challenge of farmers and proposes that «the ambitious EU standards do not pose a competitive disadvantage» compared to third countries, so it will study measures for greater coherence in the rules regarding prohibited dangerous pesticides in the EU and in animal welfare.
Although it points out that rigorous controls on food safety standards «remain a non-negotiable priority,» Brussels commits to focusing on livestock conditions to «promote the long-term future of the sector.»
Against the backdrop of the debate on environmental standards implemented in recent years at the community level, Brussels acknowledges the need to «reconcile climate action with food security and the specific challenges» of rural areas. Thus, it proposes a reward system for farmers and breeders who adopt nature-friendly practices.
The European Commission commits to carefully studying any new ban on the use of pesticides if alternatives are not available within a reasonable timeframe and says it will facilitate access to biopesticides in the EU market. As an incentive, it will develop a voluntary comparative evaluation system to provide farmers with keys to measure and improve the performance of their operations.
Demographically, it will propose measures within the rural action plan to settle population in these areas and ensure they remain dynamic, practical, and have a cultural and heritage appeal.
In any case, Brussels puts its vision on agriculture on the table with these proposals as the first step to support the sector and maintain dialogue with producers to address their demands.