"The bureaucrats need to involve real farmers in the decision-making process - and the European elections are absolutely vital"
"In the first week of November I sat in a room with one of the highest-ranking officials in European agricultural politics - and I couldn't think of a question to ask them."
"I know there will be some reading this with steam coming out of their ears at the thoughts of such a wasted opportunity, rightly so. I was angry with myself too."
Bureaucrats frequently make agricultural policy without meaningful input from practising farmers. This exclusion creates a disconnect between policy design and on-the-ground realities. European elections determine political leadership and policy priorities that shape farming rules, subsidies and regulations. Voter choices in those elections therefore directly influence whether farmers gain genuine representation in decision-making. Personal encounters with senior officials can expose how little listening occurs at high levels. Addressing the gap requires formal mechanisms for farmer involvement, clearer channels for frontline feedback, and mobilisation of electoral engagement to secure responsive agricultural governance.
Read at Independent
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]