European farming and agri-cooperative federation Copa-Cogeca has strongly rejected the Council Presidency’s latest EU budget negotiating box. The proposal maintains a proposed reduction of over 20% to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), sparking warnings of severe food inflation and fragmented agricultural supply chains across the Single Market.
Representing EU farmers and agricultural cooperatives, Copa-Cogeca condemned the Council’s Multi-annual Financial Framework (MFF) negotiating framework for preserving the European Commission’s proposed 20%-plus funding cuts to the CAP without adjusting for inflation. The organization cautioned that eroding direct support mechanism frameworks and reducing the Unity Safety Net threatens European agricultural resilience during a period of geopolitical volatility, extreme climate events, and rising operational input costs.
Copa-Cogeca further highlighted that discretionary national funding allocations fail to provide binding safeguards for maintaining a unified CAP structure. Addressing the upcoming 12th Congress of European Farmers in Stockholm, trade leaders warned that defunding primary production risks accelerating food price inflation for 500 million consumers while undermining the EU’s broader strategic autonomy.
"The decisions taken on the future MFF will determine the EU’s ability to preserve its strategic autonomy and ensure food security. Member States must assume their responsibility," stated the federation in an official release.
Copa-Cogeca represents the combined interests of European farmers and agricultural co-operatives across EU member states.