Deep Roots

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increasingly need to gain more income from the market. It

is essential for them to be able to get a better market return.

They need a quality of life and income that is comparable to

other sectors of the economy.

A recent survey that Copa-Cogeca commissioned to an

independent company estimated that the impact of the

unfair trading practices of the retail sector in the agrifood

sector amounts to €10.9 billion per year in loss of turnover.

Moreover, with 842 million people suffering from chronic

hunger in the world – that is one in eight people – it is

crucial to improve the situation of family farms to meet

this demand.

Ways of improving the situation of family farms, of making

them more interactive with society and of stimulating policies,

have consequently been looked at in key events organized

by Copa-Cogeca this year and also in collaboration with the

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the

World Farmers’ Organisation and the European Commission.

We believe that agri-cooperatives can help farmers to meet

upcoming challenges and improve their positioning and the

economic performance and viability of their members. They

enable farmers to join forces to market their produce and add

value to produce to get a higher return. They help farmers to

better manage the extreme volatility of agricultural markets

and help to strengthen their position in the food chain by

concentrating their farming members’ production. They are an

excellent model to help family farms exist across the world. A

recent study by the European Commission has demonstrated

that in EU countries with higher market shares of coopera-

tives in the milk sector, farmers receive significantly better

prices (by some 10-15 per cent), compared to countries with

low market share of dairy cooperatives.

But we need to see how farmers and cooperatives can

develop more successful marketing strategies and ensure

prices for their products actually cover their production

costs. A key point for this is innovation: it is crucial for family

farmers and cooperatives to be innovative and for cooperatives

to develop innovative strategies and products to secure better

market returns for their members.

In this context, farmers in Europe can help farmers in

African and other less developed countries in the world by

passing on their agriculture expertise and knowledge and

helping farmers’ unions and cooperatives to set up. Many

farm organizations and cooperatives across Europe have been

active on this.

We also urge heads of state and governments to provide

support for market research in order to find new market

outlets for their produce and increase export promotion.

Investment in the sector must be stepped up and education

and training improved.

Non-tariff barriers to trade also prevent the EU from

maximizing its trade potential in agrifood exports. Different

labelling and packaging regulations can increase red tape and

the price of a product dramatically. This must be tackled.

In addition, women make an irreplaceable contribution

to family farms and it is important that this is acknowl-

edged across the world. In some countries, there are many

women farmers and they have equal rights in relation to

their spouses. But in others, a lot more has to be done to

improve the status of women. The status of co-owner is

Researchers have found that in EU countries with higher market shares of cooperatives in the milk sector, farmers receive significantly better prices

Image: Copa-Cogeca

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