The EU's agri-food promotion policy plays a key role in ensuring the competitiveness of our products and their export to global markets, which is why beef cattle breeders are calling on the European Commission to maintain the promotion budget at its current level.
Initially, the European Commission planned to allocate EUR 185.9 million for this purpose for 2025. Unfortunately, the European Commission proposed a budget of EUR 92 million. This has a negative impact on the financing of the EU promotion policy not only in 2025, but also threatens to have a negative impact in subsequent years, as the Polish Association of Beef Cattle Producers emphasizes in the LoweKrowe campaign.
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Half of the budget for promoting EU agri-food products has been cut
European farmers should be strengthened, not weakened
– This decision is completely incomprehensible. The aim of the promotion policy is to strengthen the competitiveness of European agriculture. In the face of the opening of the common market to agri-food products from Ukraine, European farmers should be strengthened, not weakened. It is absolutely incomprehensible that instead of supporting the sector currently most exposed to imports, its wings are being clipped – comments Jerzy Wierzbicki, president of the Polish Association of Beef Cattle Producers.
As PZPBM points out, for years the promotion policy, which is financed from the first pillar of the Common Agricultural Policy, has been the main driving force in increasing awareness of the quality of agricultural and food products from the EU and in increasing the competitiveness of the EU agricultural sector and effectively supporting exports.
"In addition to achieving these main objectives, it also contributes to the creation of a sustainable European food system by supporting the consumption of European agri-food products. It also plays an important role in the economic diplomacy of the Commissioner for Agriculture. In order for the promotion policy to continue to have a positive impact on agriculture and local communities, in addition to maintaining its original objectives, it is necessary to ensure its adequate financing," emphasizes the Association.
This is not the first attempt to "tinker" with promotion funds
Polish beef cattle breeders were surprised to hear about the European Commission's plans to reduce its budget, especially since interest in the promotion policy is greater than ever. In 2024, there was a 52% increase in applications for funding for multiannual programmes.
PZPBM reminds us that these are not the first attempts to "tinker" with funds for the promotion of agri-food products by some commissioners. In previous years, during the term of Vice-President Frans Timmermans, attempts were made to push through, among other things, regulations discriminating against meat and wine, which are an important element of the European culinary heritage.
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Aid for Ukraine cannot come at the expense of Polish and EU farmers
Brussels did not stop at these controversial ideas. As the Association points out, as part of the search for savings in connection with funds earmarked for aid to Ukraine, which in itself is a noble goal, the European Commission wants to reduce the budget for the Common Agricultural Policy by 440 million euros, instead of looking for the entire amount in other sources. These savings are to be made, among other things, by drastically reducing spending on the promotion of European agricultural products.
– No one questions the need to help Ukraine, but we would like to firmly emphasize that we do not accept that it should be done at the expense of farmers. Polish farmers have been involved in helping their eastern neighbors since the beginning of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, and currently they bear the greatest burden resulting from the creation of a de facto free trade zone with Ukraine, which is associated with the inflow of agricultural and agri-food goods – noted Jacek Zarzecki, president of the Polish Association of Beef Cattle Breeders and Producers.
– Aid for Ukraine cannot be provided at the expense of Polish and EU farmers. We firmly emphasize that the planned reduction of the CAP budget for 2025 may only increase the level of frustration in rural areas caused by the decisions of the European Union regarding Ukraine – concluded Zarzecki.
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