European farmers took to the streets in Brussels to defend the Common Agricultural Policy. A delegation from Coldiretti Sardinia was also on the front lines, with demands ranging from a "no" to the Single Agricultural Fund to defending the Common Agricultural Policy, from the fight for mandatory origin labeling to the demand for reciprocity in international trade .
At the heart of the Brussels mobilization is a clear opposition to merging the CAP into a Single Fund, a move that would deprive a sector of certainty and stability, which requires clear planning and rules to ensure safety for farmers and quality food for consumers. For Sardinia, this prospect risks exacerbating existing structural difficulties.
"Saying no to the Single Fund means defending Sardinian agriculture and consumers' right to know what they're putting on their tables," emphasizes Battista Cualbu, president of Coldiretti Sardinia . "Without dedicated resources and a strong CAP, we're paving the way for a system that favors imports and penalizes producers who comply with the rules. This is why we're calling for the abolition of the last substantial transformation of the customs code and the introduction of mandatory origin labeling for all products: no more food deception! We need transparency, traceability, and true reciprocity in trade policies."
This battlefront also concerns the agreement with Mercosur and the issue of imports from countries that do not guarantee the same environmental, health, and social standards imposed on European farmers . Coldiretti is calling for stricter border controls and respect for the principles of full reciprocity, which are still largely ignored.
"These policies risk having devastating effects on Sardinia," adds Luca Saba, director of Coldiretti Sardinia . "Cutting CAP resources and increasing bureaucracy will undermine agricultural income and slow investment. In an island region, where costs are structurally higher, the risk is a loss of competitiveness and the closure of many farms, with devastating consequences for employment and the regional economy."
A delegation from Cia Agricoltori Italiani Sardegna also attended the event in Brussels: "We oppose the cuts in resources envisaged in the proposals currently underway, which in Sardinia would contribute to the devastation of a sector already facing myriad difficulties and in which it is essential to invest, not to deprive it of resources," explained representatives of the island's confederation. Ten thousand producers and hundreds of tractors from all over the continent are marching in Brussels. "Sardinia, with its inland areas and its agriculture, would be among the Italian regions suffering the greatest cuts."
(Unioneonline)
