With the CAP reform entering a hot phase of negotiations, farmers and activists used the momentum to show that EU’s food and farming policies concern millions of people. A demonstration gathered over 1000 people who marched on the streets of Strasbourg to the European Parliament. Farmers headed the rally with several tractors, side by side with consumers and activists. Demonstrators emphasized their support for small-scale community-based farming and demand for targeted funding for the transition to healthier, fairer and greener agricultural systems.
Farmers from France & Germany head the ?#GoodFoodGoodFarming rally with tractors, side by side with consumers & activists showing that the sustainable future of Europe’s food & farming systems is a vital issue to everyone! pic.twitter.com/qhNHseXw0L
— Slow Food Europe (@SlowFoodEurope) October 22, 2019
Stanka Becheva, food and farming campaigner at Friends of the Earth Europe said:
The way we farm has a major impact on whether we can stop climate change and protect our nature. However, wrong EU agriculture policies have contributed to a climate emergency, an ecological collapse and small-scale family farmers being forced off the land. Citizens and farmers are demanding urgent action and call on the EU to step up and support a rapid and just transition to sustainable farming.
With music, food and speeches demanding radical changes in food and farming policies to meet the challenges of ecological and climate breakdown, the loss of soil fertility and the destruction of small, community-based farms and rural livelihoods, the demonstration concluded in front of the Parliament. There, representatives of the Good Food Good Farming coalition met with Members of the Parliament to hand-over an open letter, and thousands of protest postcards sent from across Europe.
?? We hand over postcards & open letter demanding #GoodFoodGoodFarming to the @EuroParl_EN in Strasbourg! Decision makers can no longer ignore society’s call for a fair, green and healthy #futureofCAP @schirdewan https://t.co/PAN6fL1GqU pic.twitter.com/gyErRtaNJv
— GoodFoodGoodFarming (@GFGFActionDays) October 22, 2019
It was an important moment to send a clear message that decision-makers must fulfill their electoral promises and fully commit themselves to much more far-reaching reforms to secure sustainable and climate-friendly food and agriculture.
The rally, organised by German and French agriculture reform networks (Wir haben es satt! and Pour une autre PAC) was the peak event of more than 90 actions and events across Europe, as part of the Good Food Good Farming campaign.
