Members of the AGRI Committee hear from Commissioner for Agriculture Janusz Wojciechowski how the situation on the EU agricultural markets has been developing following the invasion of Russia to Ukraine. It is expected that the war in Ukraine will have a significant impact on the European agricultural markets due to long-term cuts in imports. Russia and Ukraine account for over 30% of world trade in wheat, 32% for barley, 17% for corn and over 50% for sunflower oils, seeds and meals.

EU - Ukraine (T)

Brussels

exchange of views

statement

troubles in Ukraine (T)

Committee on Agriculture and Rural Development

LINS, Norbert (EPP, DE)

WOJCIECHOWSKI, Janusz (ECR, PL, EC)

food security (T)

The impact of the war in Ukraine on EU agriculture: statement by Norbert LINS (EPP, DE), AGRI Chair and extracts from the exchange of views with Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI, European Commissioner for Agriculture

Title: The impact of the war in Ukraine on EU agriculture: statement by Norbert LINS (EPP, DE), AGRI Chair and extracts from the exchange of views with Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI, European Commissioner for Agriculture

SOUNDBITE (English), Norbert LINS (EPP, DE), Chair of AGRI Committee Ukraine and Russia are the main exporters of grains into the world. Not only into the world, but also into the European Union, especially when it comes to wheat, when it comes to sunflower, when it comes to oilseeds, when it comes to soya beans.

SOUNDBITE (English), Norbert LINS (EPP, DE), Chair of AGRI Committee We see that food security is back on the table, and we as the European Union, we have to guarantee food security and we have to see it as a priority and we have to look at it on a daily basis. And when it comes to energy prices, when it comes to prices of fertilisers, if there is anything to do, for example, when we see the raising prices of fertilisers, we have to think about subsidies. Subsidies to to give subsidies to the farmers that they are able to buy and fertilisers. Maybe we have even to think about how we are able to produce more fertiliser because Russia, there is no import of fertiliser from Russia and from Ukraine anymore, and they were as well one of the main exporters of fertilisers.

SOUNDBITE (English), Norbert LINS (EPP, DE), Chair of AGRI Committee We are in the current and Common Agricultural Policy. So this means that the period from 2013 to 2022 and in the last year of the current Common Agricultural Policy, now we have to look on the ecological area. In my view, in the view of the majority of my committee, we have to do some derogation that the farmers can use them for protein coops, can even use plant protection products that we guarantee more production in the European Union and that we can guarantee a good harvest for 2022.

SOUNDBITE (English), Norbert LINS (EPP, DE), Chair of AGRI Committee The land are used for and for cover crops, the land we use to as fellow land. So we have to use each acre we have available this year to guarantee more production. Then we have to use the articles in the CMO (Common organisation of the markets), which allows us to manage the crisis. This means Article Twenty Nineteen, we have to guarantee the functioning of the internal market in the European Union. So we saw some activities from some member states that if they are questioned about that, so we have to guarantee food security not only for one country or for some member states, but for the European Union.

Arrival of Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI, European Commissioner for Agriculture, to the AGRI Committee (1 shot)

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI, European Commissioner for Agriculture, What we have to do is ensure that European food production agriculture is maintained and strengthened as far as possible.

SOUNDBITE (Polish), Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI, European Commissioner for Agriculture, We are proposing derogation for so-called fallow land or land that is not under production, because, yes, we know that this is important for biodiversity, but I don't think now is the time just to insist that we leave this land, not under production. So the Commission is going to suggest that we have a waiver so that that land can be used to grow protein crops because obviously there's a lack of scarcity of feed. So that would be that idea. And then state aid, public aid, that's the fourth action. And we're going to proceed here in a similar way to during the COVID pandemic pandemic. The member states have the possibility to grant aid to the farmers.

Atmosphre shots of the exchange of views with Janusz WOJCIECHOWSKI, European Commissioner for Agriculture during the AGRI Committee (6 shots)