The agrarian organizations Asaja, COAG, and UPA, along with Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias de Andalucía, have reiterated this Monday their "commitment to the defense of the Andalusian agri-food sector through unity of action and permanent dialogue with public administrations". In the current context of the formation of a new legislature in the Junta de Andalucía, the signatory entities consider it "necessary to highlight" the work carried out by the team of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, headed by Ramón Fernández-Pacheco, as well as "the effectiveness of the coordination mechanisms established through the Agrarian Dialogue Table".
The organizations recall in a statement that the Andalusian agri-food sector is one of the main economic, social, and territorial cohesion pillars of the community. Its contribution to gross value added, employment, and the balance of the rural environment requires "stable, rigorous political action fully coordinated with those who represent farmers, ranchers, and agri-food cooperative companies".
In recent years, cooperation between the sector and the regional Administration has made it possible to "build common positions, firmly defend the interests of Andalusia, and convey a unified voice to national and European institutions on strategic issues for the economy, with agriculture and livestock farming being a strategic pillar both economically and socially".
This line of work takes on "especially relevant" importance in light of the proposed reform of the CAP after 2027 and the new Multiannual Financial Framework, which could imply "a profound change in the configuration of the Common Agricultural Policy and its financing instruments". Andalusia, as one of the main agricultural producing regions in the European Union, "has a lot at stake in this process".
In addition to this, other challenges of "enormous significance" are accumulating: the profitability of farms, generational renewal, labor shortages, digitalization and innovation, investments in water in a climate change scenario, the simplification of bureaucracy, defense against unfair competition from third countries, and the recognition of the social, economic, and environmental function of the Andalusian agrarian system.
The control of community regulations and decision-making processes in Brussels requires technical knowledge, experience, and the ability to react. For this reason, Asaja, COAG, UPA, and Agro-food Cooperatives of Andalusia consider it "fundamental to guarantee the continuity of the decision-making and management teams that have been working in the Ministry in these areas". The signatory organizations therefore demand that "the new political stage preserve the work already done, maintain the consolidated channels of dialogue, and ensure the necessary stability to face the decisive challenges ahead for the Andalusian agri-food sector".