This week, with its plenary vote, the European Parliament sent a signal in support of Europe’s farmers. A majority of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) voted against harmful amendments pushed by representatives of industrial interests and in favour of a progressive report that continues to pursue the goal of strengthening producers’ position in the food supply chain: a first important step towards fairer markets.

In early September, the Agriculture Committee of the European Parliament adopted a draft opinion on the proposals tabled by the European Commission to amend the Common Market Organisation (CMO). The German family farmers’ association AbL especially welcomes the proposed changes to rules that require mandatory written contracts as they would strengthen the position of farmers in negotiations for fair producer prices.

In recent months, the AbL worked intensively towards this goal with other farmers’ associations – with the notable exception of the German Farmers’ Union. At the same time, they also warn of loopholes that could arise due to additional derogations.

Background

The vote in early September was on the European Commission’s legislative proposals from December 2024, which were tabled following massive farmer protests across Europe. The Agriculture Council already adopted its position in May. Now the trilogues can finally begin. The AbL issued a statement (available in German) on this as early as January.

Ottmar Ilchmann, AbL spokesperson for agricultural policy and dairy farmer from Lower Saxony, says: “The vote showed that improving the economic situation of us farmers is a sincere concern for this European Parliament. It makes it more likely that the necessary market framework will finally be implemented at EU level, which would then be binding for Germany as well. Agro-industry representatives have so far blocked any agricultural policy approaches that would make it at all possible for us farmers to be genuine market actors. That is why we call on German agricultural policy-makers in the European Parliament and on Federal Minister for Agriculture Alois Rainer to keep advocating for more market policies for us farmers while the political process runs its course. This means compensating for future challenges by building on improvements, rather than weakening them. After all, we have the threat of cuts in funds as per the published proposals for the upcoming budget on one hand, and, on the other, the processing side and buyers are increasingly concentrated in the hands of a few, as shown by the recent merger of dairy cooperative giants Arla and DMK or the acquisition of the private dairy Rücker by Meggle. The fact that written contracts will soon become compulsory EU-wide and that prices must cover all costs are steps in the right direction. Derogations for cooperatives, for example, would be detrimental to farmers. In the upcoming trilogue negotiations and latest with the still-to-come additional CMO amendments, further measures to shape the market must follow.”

Consultations are ongoing in parallel on additional proposals by the European Commission on the CMO, which were presented in July within the framework of the overarching proposals on the reform of the EU budget and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post-2027. Contrary to earlier statements by the European Commission, no additional improvements to market instruments have been proposed so far. The Agriculture Council and the European Parliament can change this. You can find the relevant AbL position paper here (available in German).

Arbeitsgemeinschaft bäuerliche Landwirtschaft (AbL), published on 9 September 2025

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