What Paolo spoke about.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, ten years after the rejection of the previous proposal, Parliament is about to vote on a clear position on the future of the production of reproductive material. This is thanks to the Commission's proposal, which, together with the new regulation on new genomic technologies, is the basis for making available to our farmers plants that can produce more, more sustainably and consume less. It is thanks, above all, to the colleagues who have worked on this dossier, from Herbert Dorfmann to Isabel Carvalhais, whom I thank, leaving a political signal on the importance of ensuring the resilience of the sector and clear rules for both European and third-country producers. This is the start of a work that, together with the new legislation that will finally authorize the use of sustainable biotechnologies in Europe, we deliver to the future Parliament so that it can solve the open problems and allow our farmers to continue on the path towards increasingly sustainable and competitive production systems.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, Russia's geopolitical strategies take advantage of the strength of its agricultural sector, with cereal exports that have expanded like wildfire not only in Africa, but also in the Union, putting further pressure on the profitability of our farms. Low-cost imports have led to a collapse in European prices and sowing, with effects contrary to the objective of greater food security that we had given ourselves, excluding the agri-food sector from the twelve packages of sanctions imposed on Moscow. We need a shot at courage, with the blockade of Russian grain imports. Our farmers and producers are ready to take up this challenge, strengthening European production also thanks to the necessary CAP simplification measures and diversifying supply chains, starting with those with Ukraine. It seemed impossible even with gas, on the contrary, dear Commissioner, it was the demonstration of how Europe has the strength to break away from any dependency.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the agreements we are about to approve must be a first step towards improving all the trade agreements and policies currently in force, with the aim of making our supply chains more resilient and sharing with our partners a greater commitment to trade and sustainable development, labour rights and gender equality. For this reason, aware of the protection already granted to sensitive products and a record number of European and Chilean geographical indications, we call on the Commission to make an extra effort to ensure that any future trade concessions are always subject to compliance with equivalent production standards and those respected by European producers: This is in terms of food safety, sustainability, animal welfare and social conditions. The Commission's work, accompanied by the European Parliament's team of rapporteurs, which I thank, has led to a truly progressive agreement, which will benefit European and Chilean businesses, workers and consumers, and which we hope will pave the way for equally positive development with all our current trading partners.

(IT) Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank Commissioner McGuinness for her words and all my colleagues for their extraordinary support for this two-year work, in which we really listened to the demands of all the actors involved and developed an innovative tool that I really hope will give a further strong impetus to quality chains. Let me say: After the crises caused by the pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine and soaring production costs, this is finally really good news for our European farmers! But I want to say that this reform cannot be a point of arrival. It must instead become a platform from which to give impetus to a new phase of development of the geographical indication supply chains, now gone from being a matter of a few Member States particularly attached to their culinary culture, to represent a real economic and political heritage, as well as cultural and social at European level. In fact, there is enormous growth potential for quality production and to seize this opportunity now the baton passes into the hands of producers and supply chains, who will have to prove that they are up to the challenge and make the most of what is traced with this regulation. In the meantime, however, the Union cannot stand idly by. That is why, dear Commissioner, we are now calling for the creation of an ad hoc action plan, on the basis of what we are already doing for the organic sector, which can further support and consolidate a heritage, as mentioned, which cannot be relocated and which involves millions of operators at European level. Dear friends, dear colleagues, this is the Europe we want, capable of accompanying farmers towards increasingly competitive and sustainable production systems, reconnecting that link with our rural areas, which seems to have been somewhat lost in recent years.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, despite the fact that the current legislature has at times given the impression of a European Union detached from the agricultural reality, the new regulation on geographical indications gives a concrete example of how Europe – driven by the necessary political will – is able to accompany our farmers and agri-food producers towards increasingly resilient production systems. Thirty years of investments and reforms of our agricultural policies have in fact led to the creation of a real "quality policy", decisive in making our agri-food chain unparalleled in the world in terms of food quality and sustainability of production processes, also thanks to a unique model of protection, management and promotion of many products synonymous with excellence, uniqueness and link with the territory. The negotiations of recent months, thanks to the strong negotiating mandate of the European Parliament, have led to the introduction of fundamental changes in the new regulation, which will evolve a system capable of generating value without the need to invest any public funds. Building on the Commission's proposal, we have for the first time created a genuine single European text on quality production, which will ensure greater alignment between all sectors, while safeguarding the specificities of the various sectors. However, some changes have already been made necessary by the objectives of this reform, which now include the need to ensure an adequate income for quality producers, contributing to the achievement of greater development of our rural areas. The pillars on which, as a Parliament, we wanted to base our work have become the four points that characterise the entire reform. First of all, starting from the strengthening of consortia, real engines for the development of the geographical indications system, with greater and better responsibilities, including the fight against devaluing practices and the promotion of "geographical indication tourism". Second, increased protection, especially internationally, online and in the Internet domain system, as well as when geographical indications are used as ingredients. We have also put an end, once and for all, to those flaws in the system that allow the reputation of our geographical indications to be unduly exploited, through national rules, or even EU instruments, such as traditional terms. Furthermore, the simplification of administrative procedures by setting a certain time limit of less than one year for the Commission to examine applications for both registration and amendment of product specifications for geographical indications. Finally, sustainability and transparency towards consumers, with the mandatory indication on the label of any PDO or PGI product of the name of the producer and the drafting of a report explaining the importance of these products in terms of environmental, social, economic sustainability and respect for animal welfare. Colleagues, the reform we are about to adopt is the only piece of legislation in this legislature to support a more competitive and sustainable agri-food sector. That is why I want to thank my fellow rapporteurs, the shadow rapporteurs, the Spanish Presidency of the Council, the Swedish Presidency, the Commission – in particular the Directorate-General for Agriculture – and, last but not least, our secretariats, for their commitment, without which it would not have been possible to achieve such an important result, not only in terms of content, but also for having been able to reconcile the different positions of all the actors involved, from the producers to the consumers of these products who are envied all over the world.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Mr Vice-President Šefčovič, after thirty years of investment, in which Europe has led our agri-food chain to be unequalled in the world in terms of quality, food sustainability and respect for workers' rights, the current legislature has given the impression of wanting to move from pursuing ideal objectives to ideological objectives, without putting in place any plan that would accompany farmers in the transition to new production models. This Parliament, on the other hand, has been able to listen to the needs of our rural communities, working to find concrete and far more balanced solutions than those proposed by the Commission, even in the last few hours. Dear Commissioner, in order to re-establish the link that has always united the Union and our farmers, we need to make them protagonists of a project, putting in place innovative tools, starting from new sustainable biotechnologies, suitable for achieving ambitious environmental objectives and making the sector increasingly competitive at global level.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, for the first time in decades, this European legislature has succeeded in creating the perception of a Union that is the enemy of farmers and production groups. We have not been able to build a project that involves European agriculture, making it feel a protagonist in the green transition and not blamed, but without the convinced adherence of our farmers and the entire agri-food system, any prospect of climate neutrality becomes impossible. Now, ignoring the demonstrations of recent months by labeling them as extremist movements would be yet another mistake. Unlike populist forces, which always offer the solution of returning to "as it was before", we have the opportunity to put in place new and decisive opportunities, from artificial intelligence to sustainable biotechnologies, to reconnect with our rural communities. Dear colleagues, let us take this opportunity for the Union to return to accompanying farmers towards sustainable production systems, without jeopardising their competitiveness.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, without the convinced participation of our farmers, any prospect of mitigating climate change becomes unfeasible. That is why the work of the Committee on Agriculture and our rapporteur, Clara Aguilera, whom I thank, has focused on finding the most ambitious balance between the essential sustainability objectives that we have set ourselves as the European Union and the equally essential need for our farmers to be accompanied in this transition. A work that has managed to overcome ideological positions, achieving pragmatic results that make the 50% reduction target of plant protection products realistic, but only if this path will be accompanied by an important innovation effort, with concrete alternatives to combat plant diseases, starting from new sustainable biotechnologies. Colleagues, tomorrow's vote puts us before a choice: Let us leave aside the political forcings and polarizations to reach a final text that truly supports the environmental, social and economic sustainability of the agricultural sector and our rural areas.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, a few hours ago, in this House, President von der Leyen stressed that nature and agriculture must go hand in hand. The situation of wolves and large carnivores is a central theme for this balance, which touches farmers closely, struggling with hundreds of attacks on their animals, especially those in remote and mountainous areas. The President is right: Agriculture and nature must go hand in hand, but the relationship between man and ecosystems evolves over time and the balances must be carefully governed, according to the needs of the different territories. That is why, dear Commissioner, we thank you for announcing a review of the protection status of the wolf. However, concrete, non-ideological actions must now be taken to ensure the necessary flexibility to cope with an overpopulation that is jeopardising not only ecosystem balances, but also decades of commitment by the Union to the protection of the health and welfare of farm animals.

Mr President, dear Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, with the exit from the Black Sea initiative, Russia wants to redesign the global political geography, taking advantage of the strength of its agricultural sector and the non-compliance with any market rules. The already high number of countries dependent on Russian grain exports is in fact likely to expand like wildfire, generating areas of influence with worrying geopolitical effects. We therefore need all possible instruments to ensure that Ukrainian cereals continue to arrive in Africa and are not subject to speculative mechanisms that in recent months have led to a collapse in the prices of European countries, despite increasingly high costs and production standards for our farmers. For this reason, while waiting for diplomatic efforts to lead to the reactivation of the Black Sea agreement, we must put in place adequate infrastructure for the transit of Ukrainian products, without letting the support to Kyiv disproportionately impact on some European sectors such as the agri-food sector.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, today is the opening of a plenary session that is decisive for the ambitions that the Union has set itself with the green deal. We therefore need a broad political sharing of the strategy that we intend to follow, rather than splits within Parliament that will not allow us to move forward in a balanced way. In this sense, in order to effectively achieve the pollution reduction targets of the Industrial Emissions Directive, an approach covering not only the three levels of sustainability, but also the specificities of each sector, starting with the livestock sector, is needed. The principle "one size fits allIndeed, it has amply demonstrated its limitations and, as the AGRI Committee, we therefore believe that it is a mistake to compare the European stables with chimneys, subjecting bovine herds to the constraints of the Directive. A scientific and practical error that risks jeopardizing decades of advancement, capable of making us reach the highest standards of production and animal welfare in the world. We are ready to work together, dear Commissioner, to develop policies which are equally ambitious but which respect the peculiarities of different production chains, starting with the beef sector.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, after a dry winter, the violent rainfall of recent weeks has caused victims and submerged population centres and tens of thousands of hectares of cultivated land, bringing businesses and farms to their knees in many European regions. In Emilia-Romagna, more than four billion cubic meters of water have fallen in just two weeks, three times the annual needs of the entire region. It is clear that the frequency of precipitation is gradually decreasing, increasing the concentration in very short periods. To cope with this situation, the European Union must put in place preventive actions, including investments for rural development that can be financed with Next Generation EU funds, starting from an extraordinary plan for the construction of small reservoirs at farm level, able to guarantee adequate water independence for our farmers, as well as the possibility of using these basins as expansion boxes in the event of catastrophic events. Once again, our citizens are showing themselves ready to stand up despite the enormous difficulties. It is up to us not to be unprepared for the future water crisis.

Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, for too long Europe has seen peace, as well as food security, as something acquired. The Russian attack on the Ukrainian people has undermined this belief, with profound humanitarian, political, social and economic repercussions. That is why this report is important. A positive report that we will support and I thank the rapporteur, Camilla Laureti, for the work they have done. But the renewed focus on food security must create the conditions for achieving greater strategic autonomy for the Union, including on agri-food markets, and for this reason we call on the Commission not to limit itself to continuous legislative initiatives aimed at imposing more obligations and greater production restrictions. On the contrary, dear Commissioner, our farmers need a plan, a plan made up of concrete alternatives, starting with sustainable biotechnology, which will accompany them towards real sustainable intensification, an agri-food system, and produce more and better.

Madam President, first of all, I call for a return to the Commission under Rule 59/4 in order to start the interinstitutional negotiations immediately, and I really take this opportunity to thank all my fellow Members. A text that had such a large majority, unanimously, approved in the Committee on Agriculture. Thank you very much to all my colleagues.

Madam President, thank you, Commissioner, and thank you very much to all my fellow Members and to the words they have used to thank the negotiating team. A really important teamwork of which I am proud, and who knows that tomorrow we will not have a few minutes of satisfaction seeing the whole Chamber support this important relationship that saw the participation of all. It's not just about gastronomic curiosities. I would like to conclude this debate by recalling that we are talking about a very important piece of European agri-food. We have now exceeded 80 billion euros. A piece of history, origin, tradition, European culture. We must be proud because it was Europe that built this instrument of geographical indications. It did so in 1992, creating this link between product and territory. An extraordinary idea that continues to grow. Thank you all again. Let's all vote for it. It is important to have a strength from the European Parliament in order to be able to negotiate with the Commission and the Council.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, after more than a year of work, we are going to express Parliament's position on the proposal for a regulation on geographical indications. A proposal, dear Commissioner, which is one of the few, if not the only, piece of legislation discussed in this legislature to support a more competitive, integrated and value-added agricultural and agri-food sector for the benefit of our rural areas. I would therefore like to thank, first of all, all the shadow rapporteurs, the rapporteurs for the opinions of the JURI and INTA Committees and the whole Parliament's negotiating team for the work they have done in recent months, which has led to the unanimous adoption of the text in the Agriculture Committee. An unexpected result that shows how, when substantial objectives are shared, leaving aside more superficial and partisan demands, it is possible to reach ambitious compromises, in the sole interest of our farmers and producers. Coming to the text, our intent is not to revolutionize, but to evolve a system without equal in the world, capable of generating value without the need to invest any public funds. Some changes are therefore necessary, starting from the objectives of this reform, which will have to ensure an adequate income for quality producers, contributing to the achievement of the objectives of rural development. Parliament’s work was then centred on four pillars: strengthening the role of consortia, enhanced protection, simplification and clarification of the role of the EUIPO, sustainability and transparency. On the first point, the consortia, Commissioner, are the engine of the development of geographical indications and must remain in the hands of producers alone, with greater and better responsibilities, including combating devaluing practices and promoting "geographical indication tourism", which we believe can prove to be a real driver for the development of our territories. Moving on to the goal of more effective protection, we ask for more courage regarding online protection, which can and should, in our opinion, become ex-officio, and protection when geographical indications are used as ingredients, making authorisation by the consortium mandatory. We also want to eliminate all those flaws in the system that allow Member States or producers to unduly exploit the reputation of geographical indications through national technical rules or even EU instruments, such as traditional terms. To really simplify the registration system, we have set certain deadlines for the Commission to examine requests and amendments to product specifications. At the same time, we call for a reduction to the strictly necessary cases only of the double scrutiny – first national and then by the Commission – which to date significantly slows down any amendment procedure. This will reduce the number of files to be analysed at European level, which is why there is a need for greater involvement of the European Intellectual Property Office, particularly in the scrutiny of product specifications. EUIPO, on the other hand, will be able to provide important advisory support on technical, administrative issues and contribute to the protection and promotion of geographical indications, through the development of a European register. Coming to the necessary objective of sustainability, the very nature of GIs, their centuries-old tradition, confirm that these products are sustainable in themselves. But in order to better communicate to consumers the commitment of our producers, we ask consortia to draw up a sustainability report that explains what they do in terms of environmental, economic and social sustainability and respect for animal welfare. Closely linked to the issue of sustainability is that of transparency. Transparency towards the consumer: for this reason, we ask that the name of the producer be indicated on the label of any GI product, and for PGI products we ask that the origin of the raw material be indicated when it is not from the Member State where it is registered. President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, we no longer have time to waste so that our farmers can benefit as soon as possible from the opportunities arising from this regulation. That is why I am asking everyone for a strong mandate in view of the start of the trilogues which we will start as early as next week with the Swedish Presidency.

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the floods of recent weeks, which have caused fifteen victims and submerged, in Emilia-Romagna alone, tens of thousands of hectares, bringing 50% of the farms in the region to their knees, are just the latest of the increasingly frequent climate disasters that afflict our rural areas and all our citizens. In this situation, the European Union cannot wait. In addition to the immediate mobilisation of the European Solidarity Fund, we must put in place, dear Commissioner, all the actions that contribute to the restoration of the damaged agricultural and livestock production potential, accompanied by appropriate resources. In this sense, that flexibility must be guaranteed to the Emilia-Romagna region, which must amend its rural development plan, with extraordinary measures to be financed through the use of the CAP crisis reserve, as you have said. Urgent and ambitious decisions are therefore needed to give concrete answers to the more than 40 000 operators involved in the Emilia-Romagna agri-food chain, ready to rise again, despite the enormous difficulties they are facing.

Madam President, Commissioner Wojciechowski, ladies and gentlemen, the Union's support and solidarity with the Ukrainian people cannot be called into question, especially in the face of a clear Russian strategy that aims to divide us by encouraging unilateral initiatives that do not comply with Union law, such as those taken by some Member States in recent weeks. However, the Commission cannot let the effects of the measures to support the Ukrainian economy disproportionately affect only certain sectors, such as the agri-food sector, without putting in place an appropriate strategy against the distortive phenomena that have led to a collapse in cereal prices, despite the ever-increasing production costs for our farmers. The mobilisation of the crisis reserve for the second time in a few months demonstrates that the current CAP budget is not sufficient to cope with emergency geopolitical situations, aggravated by speculative phenomena within the Union. A greater effort is therefore also needed on the internal front, Commissioner, to continue to be truly on Ukraine's side and, as Chancellor Scholz pointed out yesterday, to prepare properly for Ukraine's accession to the Union.

Mr President, Commissioner McGuinness, ladies and gentlemen, last week's rains have submerged thousands of hectares of orchards and cultivated fields in Emilia Romagna. It is just the latest of the increasingly frequent climate catastrophes affecting our rural areas and all our citizens. Tackling the challenge of climate change adaptation and mitigation therefore requires a convinced and coordinated participation of our farmers. But our proposals in recent months, the Commission's proposals, sometimes seem to ignore this need, limiting themselves to imposing more obligations and production limitations without offering alternatives, starting with sustainable biotechnology or appropriate support. On the contrary, the United States, with theInflation Reduction Act, they have allocated $20 billion to the agricultural sector precisely to support the ecological transition of their farmers. Well, in the face of these figures and the total absence of countermeasures on the part of the Union, how can we continue to demand more commitments from our farmers, with the risk of losses in competitiveness and productivity that would obviously also affect consumers?

Mr President, dear Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, today's debate is a success of our democratic functioning and a proof of how every citizen has the right to participate in the life of the Union. The health of pollinators is one of the most urgent alarm bells facing the Union at the forefront: bees are the first ally of farmers and European farmers recognise this key role. In recent decades, in fact, we have seen a decline in the use of pesticides, which has led in some countries to even halve their use, such as Italy. Not only: However, thanks to the environmental dimension of the CAP, more than 10% of arable land in the EU today is dedicated to the protection of biodiversity. But we can and must do more. That is why, dear Commissioner, we must make available to European farmers all those technological and innovative solutions, starting with sustainable biotechnology, alternatives to the use of chemicals harmful to pollinators. They are ambitious choices but only in this way can we safeguard more than 3/4 of the food that arrives on our tables and that, without the bees, would not exist.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, just yesterday this House adopted our position on the Chips Act, with the aim of establishing Europe as a key player in the global semiconductor arena, strategic in the digital and green transition. This is the Europe that we want, that we want for our citizens, capable of identifying their own shortcomings and resolving them, in order to achieve real strategic autonomy. On the contrary, for fertilisers we are still stuck with a communication from the Commission, which seems to ignore how 50% of our food, and consequently the food security of European citizens, is based on the use of quality fertilisers. That is why I would like to thank our President, Mr Lins, and all the rapporteurs, who have worked on the text that we are about to vote on, asking for an ambitious and concrete response to stop the fertiliser price race and ensure that it is available to meet the needs of our farms. Responses that the Union can put in place immediately, quickly, such as investing in all available alternatives that can guarantee European competitiveness and agri-food production capacity, eliminating those constraints, such as the 170 kg nitrogen per hectare threshold, which still limit the use of organic fertilizers, and the development of true circular economy systems based on the exploitation of digestate. In the face of this emergency that unequally affects European countries, businesses and families, a European response is needed, capable of supporting our production system and accompanying it towards ever greater sustainability and independence in the most critical productions.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, you are well aware of how much the rise in food prices is putting thousands of European families in difficulty, and we are also well aware of the effort you are making to try to cope with this complicated situation. So I want to give you a cue for this battle that we all have to fight, because inflation means problems for consumers, but it also means problems for the agri-food chain. Well, you know that, not so long ago, last August, the Biden administration passed the Inflation Reduction Act, an important tool of intervention of the American administration that has fielded billions and billions of dollars, in particular the measures that concern the agricultural food sector in the United States and a package of 20 billion dollars only for the agricultural sector, with investments on the sustainability of production. Then my question is: Why in the face of these difficulties, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, why does Europe not respond as the United States did?

Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, our rural areas are guardians of traditions, guardians of culture and skills and are one of the founding cores of European society. That is why, as the rapporteur, Mrs Carvalhais, has pointed out, and I would like to thank her for her excellent work, we welcome the Commission's commitments to the long-term vision of rural areas. However, for these commitments to be translated into concrete actions, there needs to be a change of pace in the Union's policies for the development of internal territories, accompanied by greater support for increasingly socially, environmentally and economically sustainable agriculture. In this sense, we are working to strengthen all the instruments, such as geographical indications, which are fundamental for the development and social sustainability of our rural area. At the same time, we will oppose measures, such as the emissions directive, which endanger animal husbandry, despite the fact that it involves pastures of high environmental value and breeds at risk of extinction, guaranteeing income and vitality precisely in remote and mountainous areas. We need, dear Commissioner, greater coordination between cohesion policies, the common agricultural policy, NextGenerationEU and all the tools needed to turn the strategy for our rural areas into a success story for rural development, with more prosperous, resilient and integrated territories.

Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Commissioner, the escalation in raw material prices and energy costs, which we have been witnessing for months now, is having irreversible consequences, of which our farmers are once again at risk of being the first victims. In the face of this emergency, the Union must put in place as soon as possible an ambitious and concrete response to stop the price race for fertilisers and ensure adequate availability to the needs of our farms. 50% of our food, in fact, is based on the use of quality fertilizers that in recent decades have played a fundamental role in the green revolution of our agricultural system, increasing yields and ensuring ever greater food security globally. Now, dear Commissioner, we cannot afford to step back. The situation of the fertilizer industry, which is often forced to interrupt its production lines due to unsustainable price increases, forces us to make decisions that can no longer be postponed. Starting, for example, with the European cap on the price of gas, as demanded yesterday by almost all of this Parliament, which would have immediate repercussions on fundamental sectors such as this. At the same time, to ensure the competitiveness and agri-food production capacity of the Union, we need to invest in all available alternatives and eliminate those constraints, such as the 170 kg nitrogen per hectare per year threshold, which still limit the use of organic fertilisers and the development of true circular economy systems based on the exploitation of digestate. In the face of this emergency, which affects European countries, businesses and families unequally, we therefore need a European response, capable of supporting our production system and accompanying it towards an ever greater sustainability and independence of the most critical productions, from gas to ammonia, necessary for the production of fertilizers, up to the agricultural raw materials that guarantee our food security.

Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, after the consequences of the measures to combat COVID, which are devastating for some sectors, and the soaring prices of raw materials following the Russian invasion, the weather conditions and the extraordinary drought of recent months have brought the entire agri-food sector to its knees, especially in the Mediterranean regions. It is time for strong responses so that our farmers continue to ensure the food security of European citizens. That is why we welcome the derogations from the CAP requirements aimed at increasing our production potential, but we do not understand how this choice by the Commission can be reconciled with self-defeating measures such as the proposal for a regulation on plant protection products which, without offering concrete alternatives to the use of chemistry, would lead to losses of up to a fifth of our production. The Union must provide our farmers with all the tools they need to continue producing sufficient, sustainable and high-quality food and not set unachievable targets except at the expense of producers and consumers.