NFFC- National Family Farm Coalition
United States of America Tel + 202 543-5675 & email : nffc@nffc.net
The European Farmers Co-ordination (CPE, Western Europe) and the National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC, United States) issued this joint statement
Washington, March 30, 2001
Spring for Action:
Farmers will plant this year's crops in the U.S. and Western Europe facing the lowest commodity prices in decades and increasing consumer concern over food safety. Low commodity prices are the result of our failed farm policies; Freedom to Farm in the U.S. and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the EU. Today, the prime beneficiaries of these trade liberalization policies are the multinational grain traders and concentrated factory style livestock operations that thrive on a cheap grain policy and reap record profits. These policies fail family farmers, rural communities, and taxpayers - in Europe and the U.S. while these same low commodity price policies are forcing family farmers off the land in every part of the world.
"As farmers, we face similar struggles and have very similar hopes, whether tilling the soil or milking cows in the U.S, Europe or the Southern Hemisphere," stated Paul Nicholson a Basque farmer and CPE farm leader. He further stated, "As farmers, we face the same devastating policies promoted by an industrialized, corporate model that subsidizes overproduction and an export driven food dumping policy." From the farm to the consumer, there are escalating concerns about genetic engineering and its impact on our food system and food supply.
Agriculture and the production of food is much more than a commodity. It is a basic human right and deserves special consideration. Each country/region must be able to establish farm and food policies that meet the food security needs of their population. For agricultural trade to be fair, it must allow for the sale of all types of commodities at a price that reflects a farmer s cost of sustainable production, thereby eliminating food dumping.
The NFFC and CPE stand together in calling for the cancellation of the Blair House agreement and the elimination of direct and indirect export subsidies that fuel overproduction. The current agricultural WTO agreement, written and promoted by the US and EU is based on an export driven dumping policy, obligatory market access and allows industrialized countries to subsidize and provide support to farmers through an arbitrary set of funding limits in different color boxes such as green, amber, or brown. Dena Hoff, a Montana farmer and NFFC Trade Task Force Chair, stated, "this illogical policy must be replaced by a trading system where food sovereignty is the priority and fair trade prevails."
The NFFC and CPE join with farmers and peasants throughout the world as members of Via Campesina in declaring our joint efforts on April 17th - the international day of farmers struggle to show the growing worldwide resistance to genetic engineering and a campaign against food dumping. This day of action coincides with events in Quebec surrounding the Free Trade of the America s ministerial.
Local actions within the U.S. are being planned around April 17 to illustrate the "Race to the Bottom" that is the outcome of a further expansion of the failed NAFTA to over 30 other countries.
On April 17, in Europe CPE organisations will initiate several actions against food dumping and GMO s. In Brussels, a demonstration will be held at the building of the European animal feedstuffs industry and at the Brazil EU mission.
For more information:
Contact
Contact CPE at (32) 2 217 31 12 or e-mail at cpe@cpefarmers.org:
