Position: Strengthening the farmers’ position in the food supply chain

The Slovak Presidency has made the present circumstances of the farming sector a priority for discussion the informal Agriculture Council on 11-13 September. Retailers and wholesalers recognise the difficult situation facing farmers. We believe that this essentially arises from both cyclical and structural problems in the market, and ask the Slovak Presidency to encourage discussion of solutions which address these problems. In our view, EU legislation on alleged unfair trading practices will not represent an effective remedy.