Sixty-Eight, Again

European Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Christophe Hansen gave an interview on RTL Radio on Saturday. The topic was the future of European agriculture. The number that came up was 68. The number of dairy farms supplying EKABE, the dairy cooperative that announced its closure last month. The number was a headline then. The number is a warning now.[1]

68 dairy farms. 52 million litres of milk per year. The farms are under threat. The milk is under threat. The businesses are under threat, including young businesses that have made significant investments in recent years. The investments were made in good faith. The good faith is under threat. The Commissioner considers it crucial to gain time and seek transitional solutions. The time is what the farms need. The transitional solutions are what the Commission offers. The farms need time. The Commission offers solutions. The solutions are transitional. The farms are permanent. The mismatch is the crisis.[1]

Cooperatives

Hansen believes farmers will be in a stronger negotiating position with large processors if they organise themselves into cooperatives or producer associations. He added that the possibility of integration with Luxlait should also be examined. The farmers are 68. The processor is one. The negotiating position of 68 individual farms against one processor is weak. The negotiating position of 68 farms organised as a cooperative is stronger. The cooperative is the answer. The cooperative is what the farmers have not yet formed. The examination is what the Commissioner proposes. The examination is not the cooperative. The examination is the study of the cooperative. The study is not the milk. The milk is what is at stake.[1]

Not mass production

Hansen emphasised that the focus should not be on mass production, but rather on processing high-quality products. Europe's position is as a global leader in food safety and animal welfare standards. Product origin must be made more transparent. Consumers must be enabled to make conscious choices in favour of European and local products. Europe produces more milk than it consumes. The EU needs to develop new export markets. Trade missions are intended to help promote European quality products in third countries.[1]

Not mass production. Quality products. Food safety. Animal welfare. Transparent origin. Conscious choices. These are the words of the Commissioner. These are also the words of a continent that produces more than it eats and needs someone else to buy what it cannot consume. The quality is the argument. The export market is the need. The trade mission is the trip. The trip sells the quality. The quality justifies the trip. The 68 farms produce the quality. The quality needs a market. The market needs the quality. The Commissioner is trying to connect them. The connection is the plan.[1]

Fertiliser

The high cost of fertilisers did not begin with the recent tensions in the Middle East. The price increases have been ongoing since the energy crisis. The EU has launched a fertiliser action plan to make Europe less dependent on imports. Boost European mineral fertiliser production. Promote organic fertilisers. Better utilisation of biogas digestate. Processing of agricultural by-products. A shift towards a more circular economy. Modern technologies and precision agriculture. Fertilisers must remain affordable. The EU has temporarily facilitated imports from alternative countries of origin.[1]

The fertiliser is imported. The import is expensive. The expense is the crisis. The crisis is not new. The crisis began with energy. The energy became fertiliser. The fertiliser became food. The food became the farm. The farm is the 68. The 68 are the farms. The farms need fertiliser. The fertiliser is expensive. The EU has a plan. The plan is circular. The plan is organic. The plan is precise. The plan is affordable. The plan is temporary. The temporary is the imports. The imports are the alternative. The alternative is the plan. The plan is the dependency. The dependency is what the plan is trying to reduce. The plan reduces the dependency by depending on it differently.[1]

Climate

Hansen named climate change as one of the greatest challenges facing agriculture. Droughts and extreme weather events are becoming increasingly frequent, leading to losses in harvests. Financial support is needed. Adaptation is essential. Investments are required. The droughts are the climate. The climate is the weather. The weather is the harvest. The harvest is the food. The food is the farm. The farm is the 68. The 68 are the farms. The farms are the drought. The drought is the climate. The climate is the challenge. The challenge is the adaptation. The adaptation is the investment. The investment is the support. The support is the plan. The plan is the future. The future is the 68 farms, if they survive.[1]

Three weeks ago, 68 farmers were a headline. The headline was the closure. The closure was the dairy. The dairy was the cooperative. The cooperative was the processor. The processor was Lactalis. Lactalis was the name. The name is the processor. The processor is leaving. The 68 are staying. The staying is the question. The question is the future. The future is the Commissioner's interview. The interview is the plan. The plan is the cooperatives. The cooperatives are the answer. The answer is the 68, again.[1]