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EMB - European Milk Board asbl
Rue de la Loi 155
B-1040 Bruxelles
Tel.: +32 - 2808 - 1935
Fax: +32 - 2808 - 8265
Dear dairy farmers, dear interested parties,
Given the current situation, things could be better on our dairy farms. The outbreak of the bluetongue disease affecting some Member States is serious. It is outrageous that a country like Belgium did not see this coming, when the disease was already detected in the Netherlands in May 2024. In my opinion, the authorities are to blame. Launching a vaccination campaign late in the day makes no sense. After this failure, and given that the epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV) has already been detected in France, the authorities are trying to get ahead of the situation. The vaccine should be available on our farms in November. The losses have been significant, and the Walloon Ministry for Agriculture has already released a sizeable package of funds for the affected farms. The article in this edition of the newsletter on the situation of Belgian dairy farmers describes bluetongue’s devastating impact on the sector. Unfortunately, producers’ concerns do not stop with this epidemic, as other threats are emerging on the horizon.
According to a Greenpeace study, the current situation is alarming for those of us that defend family farming. The number of industrial mega-farms has increased by 56% between 2007 and 2022. In 15 years, Europe has lost two million small-scale commercial farms, and 40% of European economic output now comes from these mega-farms that represent 8% of the sector and receive 37% of agricultural subsidies.
Against this backdrop, it is clear that the EMB has always been a pioneer with its vision to produce less but better, while adequately remunerating farmers. It is about producing more sustainably with shorter supply chains and specifically rejecting what Lactalis, for example, is proposing as of January next year: reducing their milk collection by 450 million litres because they have found a loophole that allows them to import milk from Eastern countries. This milk is then packaged and labelled “Made in France”, giving producers the wrong impression that this is a local product. This would qualify as an unfair trading practice, wouldn’t it?
Our organisation should also be participating in the upcoming discussions regarding the incoming Commissioner for Agriculture, Christophe Hansen, about his vision of agriculture and food, the future of the CAP, the impact of enlargement to Ukraine, crisis management, support for the green transition and livestock farming. In this edition, you will find more detailed information about the designated Commissioner for Agriculture and the aspects that are still missing in the recommendations of the Strategic Dialogue on the future of EU agriculture.
The further we get, the more I realise how important it is for us to defend our EMB and our respective Fair Milk projects, at all costs. This keeps my motivation at 200%. We have celebrated the 15-year anniversary of our Fair Milk brand Fairebel on 29 October. It feels like it was just yesterday... but in the meantime, I look back on 15 years filled with beautiful shared experiences.
Looking forward to seeing you all,
Yours truly at the EMB, MIG and Fairebel
Guy Francq, EMB Executive Committee member
EMB congratulates Belgium’s Fairebel on its 15-year anniversary
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- © Fairebel
The Belgian Fairebel celebrates its 15-year anniversary this year. What began as an ambitious project is now a well-established success – thanks to the strong commitment of the participating farmers. “Farmers have created something special that is pioneering beyond the agricultural sector and above all, offers great benefits for everyone.”
Read more...Fairebel celebrates 15 years of commitment to local and fair trade
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- © Fairebel
In October 2024, Fairebel, the pioneering Belgian Fair Milk brand, celebrates a decade and a half of striving for local and fair agriculture. Founded in 2009 by a group of farmers, Fairebel has become more than just a milk brand: it symbolises resilience and solidarity within the Belgian agricultural sector. Today, Fairebel continues to grow, representing over 500 producers who have come together to offer quality products while, at the same time, guaranteeing that each and every one of them is fairly remunerated. This ensures future prospects for the young farmers who are members of the cooperative.
Read more...EMB welcomes pioneering Fair Milk project with PENNY in Germany
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- © Die faire Milch and PENNY
The European Milk Board asbl (EMB) welcomes the new project between the German Fair Milk, Die faire Milch, and PENNY that has been officially presented today. In a new type of tripartite agreement, PENNY as the retailer, Die faire Milch as the supplier and producer cooperative Fair Food have formalised their joint effort to bring transparency and fairness to calculations and price setting in the value chain.
Read more...A new Commissioner for Agriculture for a new agricultural policy?
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- © European Commission
For the next few years, Christophe Hansen from Luxembourg is set to hold the reins of agricultural policy in the EU. The EPP politician (European People’s Party), who was already an MEP, is an environmental and geoscientist and comes from a farming family.
Read more...New EU Commissioner for Agriculture should take into account: Recommendations in the Strategic Dialogue still lacking important aspects
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- © European Commission
The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has announced her list of candidates for the new EU Commission. She would like to see Christophe Hansen as the new Commissioner for Agriculture, who would be substantially responsible for implementing the recommendations of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture. The most recent document of the Strategic Dialogue addresses key points, but important aspects for a successful sectoral transformation are still missing. The new EU Commissioner should absolutely take this into account when implementing the recommendations of the dialogue.
Read more...European farmers and agri-food workers demand prices that cover production costs be urgently included in the UTP Directive
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- © ECVC, EFFAT and EMB
In an open letter sent on 7 October 2024 to the President of the European Commission, the President of the Agrifish Council and the President of the European Parliament, European farmer and agri-food worker organisations have demanded a fast-track procedure be initiated by the end of the year to add purchasing agricultural and food products under the cost of production to the Unfair Trading Practices Directive black list.
AbL demands market policy framework for prices that cover costs
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- © AbL
As a result of the farmers’ protests, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen felt obliged to make the following statement at the European Parliament Plenary when presenting her political priorities as a candidate for a second term of office: “No one should be forced to sell good food below production costs.” We shall keep a critical eye on how serious she will be about putting this into effect. But on the EU level, a more progressive mood is already obvious in terms of market policy, while Germany still has a long way to go to reach the point where prices cover costs.
Read more...Northern Ireland Farm Welfare Bill
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- © William Taylor
Farmers For Action UK NI have connections with EMB that date back to its origins. We are very grateful for this opportunity to connect with EMB members and everything EMB is trying to achieve, which is an extremely difficult process, against bureaucracy and the corporate food industry. Over recent years, we have worked on a legislative bill to ensure cost-covering farm-gate prices for farmers. In 2013, we set about bringing farm organisations in Northern Ireland together under Northern Ireland Farm Groups to work on a legislation bill on farm-gate prices to return to farmers a minimum of the true and inflation-adjusted cost of production plus a margin.
Read more...Belgium: bluetongue has major impact, plus other threats on the horizon
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- © MIG
In August and September 2024, MIG conducted two surveys among its members to evaluate the impact of the bluetongue disease on dairy farms in Wallonia. These surveys show that things are clearly getting worse, with a rapid spread of the disease, loss of livestock and a drop in milk production.
Read more...Bird’s-eye view for the Agricultural Ministers’ Conference – BDM with a hot-air balloon on a crane in Oberhof
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- © BDM
You couldn’t miss it: on 12 September, the BDM rolled up at the Agricultural Ministers’ Conference with a 650-tonne mobile crane with an axle load of 12 tonnes, proclaiming its message for all to see: we must tackle the big issues! To give the ministers and their chiefs of staff attending the conference an idea of what these big issues are, we invited them to get a “bird’s-eye rather than frog’s-eye view for the urgently needed realignment of agricultural policy” from a height of 60 metres in the basket – for a symbolic and real overview with an opportunity for political discussions at the same time.
Dickybird in Hamburg
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- © AbL
For a change, this time we are including a funny short story by Matthias Stührwoldt, who is well-known for his witty, lively tales of life down on the farm. This article, originally published in the “Bauernstimme” mouthpiece of the AbL, tells of a very special protest in Hamburg – with a cow named Dickybird!
Legal notice
European Milk Board asbl
Rue de la Loi 155
B-1040 Bruxelles
Tel: +32 2808 1935
Fax: +32 2808 8265
E-Mail: office@europeanmilkboard.org
Website: http://www.europeanmilkboard.org