Copa-Cogeca

29/07/2026

For several weeks now, from France to Spain, Portugal and Ireland, farmers, forest owners and cooperatives have stood shoulder to shoulder with firefighters on the front lines. They have devoted countless hours and confronted the flames with their own equipment.

This should remind us all that farmers do far more than feed us, they are also the everyday guardians of our rural landscapes.

For now, the priority is to fight the fires. But once the emergency has passed, we must draw the necessary lessons for the future. Farmers deserve greater recognition for the vital role they play as first responders and should be better integrated into wildfire prevention and response strategies. This is precisely the message we have consistently conveyed to the European Commission during the preparation of its new strategy, and recent events have only reinforced the validity of that position.

Our thoughts are with those who've lost everything. Our deepest gratitude goes to all our colleagues and friends who are, at this very moment, risking their lives on the front lines to combat these devastating fires.

📸 Photos:
🎥 Videos: Mayor of Royan , , Dairy Farm , JavierSanz, .t.a.v_terralisse_agrivititp, . Used with permission.

16/07/2026

One year ago today, the European Commission presented its proposals for the future CAP and the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF).

It is a difficult anniversary to mark. Twelve months on, the process has been marked by uncertainty and institutional complexity, leaving farmers with more questions than answers.

Over the past year, these proposals have:

✅ Called into question the CAP's long-standing two-pillar structure;
✅ Proposed a more than 20% cut to the CAP budget without considering inflation;
✅ Been reconsidered twice by the Commission itself;
✅ Put at risk the very "C" in the CAP, its Common dimension;
✅ Triggered two EU-wide farmers' demonstrations;
✅ Left major uncertainties over how negotiations will ultimately conclude in time for the CAP to start in January 2028.
Last April, Copa and Cogeca adopted three position papers calling for a truly Common Agricultural Policy backed by a dedicated, ring-fenced and inflation-adjusted budget, reaffirming that investing in EU agriculture is an investment in Europe's security, resilience, growth and future.

16/07/2026

📸 December 2025, Tuscany

09/07/2026

This afternoon, the European Parliament will hold, for the first time in plenary, a debate dedicated to wool and it is right to put this issue high on the political agenda!

👉Wool is an extraordinary natural material. It is thermoregulating, insulating, fire-resistant, naturally antibacterial and self-cleaning. It has the potential to support the green transition across multiple sectors, from construction and insulation to textiles and furniture.

Valorising wool is essential to maintaining pastoralism, often in some of 🇪🇺 most challenging rural and mountainous areas. Grazing not only sustains these communities but also helps reduce wildfire risks and preserve open landscapes.
Yet today, because of a lack of outlets and regulatory bottlenecks, much of the wool produced by European sheep farmers is simply discarded after shearing. This is both absurd and a huge missed opportunity!

COPA COGECA, which has brought this issue to the forefront, support today's debate in the European Parliament called by MEPs Maria Walsh, Daniel Buda and Herbert Dorfmann. As the EU Livestock Strategy explicitly recognises that wool is not a waste but rather a valuable resource and it commits to reviewing regulatory bottlenecks to facilitate its use, we now need a strong political signal and to translate it in concrete actions to unlock potential.

🔗Discover our proposals to revalorise the value of wool: https://copa-cogeca.eu/publications

🐑 Europe needs a

29/06/2026

📉 EU Agricultural Confidence Index (Q1 2026) reveals a sharp decline in farmer mood across 7 EU Member States, with confidence levels plummeting compared to Q3 2025.

📊 The Index is compiled twice a year from national surveys in Belgium (Flanders), Germany, France, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, and Sweden.
🔍Swipe to discover key Findings

👉 Dive into the full report: https://copa-cogeca.eu/publications

26/06/2026

25/06/2026

My politics are whatever protects our European landscape, the vitality of our rural areas, and puts European food on the table.

24/06/2026

⚪️COPA COGECA was happy to support Gaia Επιχειρείν's event on hashtag 🇪🇺 project “Delivering Generational Renewal through the CAP: Next Generation Female Farmers”🚜 Secretary General Elli Tsiforou underlined that bringing next generation of female farmers is a priority of Copa and Cogeca, and that CAP must be consistent with generational renewal imperative.

FAO Liaison Office Brussels's Director Raschad Al-Khafaji brought in the global perspective under the hashtag "Young farmers and women farmers needs system that works for them, be it funds, simplification, advices..." underlining also the importance of data and the newly launched Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) statistics Gender in Agrifood Systems Domain 💻

Panel discussion with CEJA Young Farmers Secretary General Marion Picot, COPA-COGECA Women Committee's Vice-Chair Viktoria Östlund, 🇳🇱 Young Farmer Ellen Temmink & MEP sakis arnaoutoglou explored obstacles especially met by young women who farm, through inspirational anecdotes and shared struggles but above all technical and concrete insight on how the next will be decisive to make it possible for young people to take up the torch of this passionate profession, or, on the contrary, make it socially and economically unattractive...

Discussion was fed by MEP Maria Walsh, Rapporteur for Generational Renewal Strategy at the European Parliament, keynote with a focus on the multitude of aspects impacting the farming profession and policies and tool needed to ensure farming is a desirable career and lifestyle for the next generations to come.

A big thanks to GAIA for involving COPA COGECA and to our Women's Committee Coordinator Ksenija Simovic for moderating and enabling this important discussion.

23/06/2026

Will European farmers and agri-cooperatives still be able to protect their crops and make our plates full each day ? 🍽️

Farmers gathered in Brussels at the European Parliament this morning at the invitation of Shadow Rapporteurs for the Food and Feed safety Omnibus simplification
Benoît Cassart and Gheorghe Carciu to go through their plant protection challenges 🥔🍎🫛

From the various sectors' testimonies regarding productivity and competitiveness, it is clear that unless efficient alternatives are available and added to the farmers toolbox 🧰, it will be essential to preserve existing tools and accelerate the authorisation of new ones. It will be equally important to harmonise implementation and innovation to ensure professional production and food security.

➡️ Omnibus simplification will be key to give to farmers the means to do their jobs 🚜

17/06/2026

🌱Copa and Cogeca welcome today's final approval by the
European Parliament of the Regulation on NGTs, at a time when 🇪🇺 agriculture faces increasing climate, environmental and market challenges, access to better-performing crop varieties is essential to ensure food security, sustainability and competitiveness.

Today's vote is a major and historic milestone 🟢
The new framework is expected to become fully operational within the next 2⃣ years. The focus must now be on delivering the rules and guidance that will allow effectively European farmers to access this innovation🚜

🔗Read Full Press Release: https://copa-cogeca.eu/press-releases