Treat food security like an emergency – Phil Hogan

I speak to EurActivs The Agricultural PodcastHogan said that European farmers have a comparative advantage in terms of food production and this is not the same across the world.

“We have learned from our history in European agriculture that after World War II there were parts of our continent where we had starving people.

“A lot of our young people today probably don’t know that,” he said, adding that the common agricultural policy was born out of that experience.

Hogan said the latest estimates suggesting that one in five EU citizens are now food insecure is a “very worrying development”.

“Our policy makers need to look closely at the measures that are being implemented to ensure we have enough food for the people of Europe, but also that European farmers are able to provide the necessary food for our neighbours, particularly in Africa to produce. where there is potential famine in many countries.

“These are worrying trends that we need to treat like an emergency like the pandemic or the war in Ukraine,” he said.

Hogan’s comments contrast with his former commission college and current Vice-President Frans Timmermans, who said earlier this year that spreading fears of food shortages was “irresponsible and dishonest” and accused critics of using the war as a “pretext” to start the war frustrating EU ambitions in green agriculture.

Hogan, who now runs a consultancy that provides business and policy advice to people dealing with the EU, also expressed concern about the dangers of red tape in the new CAP.

“I am very concerned that Member States and the EU Commission are working closely together on the CAP strategic plans to ensure that we simplify the policy for farmers as much as possible,” he said.