Answer to a written question – Struggling farmers and livestock breeders – E-001030/2025(ASW)

1. The Commission is fully aware of the challenges faced by many farmers, including in Greece. To address these challenges, the Vision for Agriculture and Food presented on 19 February 2025[1] contains an ambitious roadmap towards an agri-food system that is attractive, competitive, future-oriented, sustainable and fair for current and future generations, including trade and simplification. In particular, the work on the livestock and the simplification package, will look at improving the competitiveness and resilience of the livestock sector.

2. The current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) supports interventions that help farmers implement actions to prevent crisis situations and build on medium and long-term resilience. The CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027 (CSP)[2] for Greece includes tools to support farmers to mitigate short-term impacts, such as direct payments, sectoral and rural development interventions aiming to stabilise farmers’ incomes. In addition, the CSP envisages also support for investments to restore agricultural potential following natural disasters, adverse climatic or catastrophic events.

Regarding the requests for input subsidies and State guaranteed prices, the Commission is and remains in favour of market orientation. In this context, the Vision states that farmers must get a better revenue from the market and that for this they need to benefit from a fair and equitable food chain. To this end, the Commission already on 10 December 2024[3] adopted a proposal to rebalance the positions in the chain and it will consider further initiatives.

Other suggestions in relation to taxes, or pensions are largely in the remit of the national authorities or control bodies.

• [1]  https://agriculture.ec.europa.eu/vision-agriculture-food_en#:~:text=Shaping%20the%20future%20of%20farming%20and%20the%20agri-food,entire%20value%20chain%20within%20the%20EU%20and%20globally
• [2]  https://www.agrotikianaptixi.gr/category/sskap-2023-2027/sskap-egkrisi-tropopoiiseis/
• [3]  COM(2024) 576 and 577 final.