Opening Remarks by Commissioner Hansen at the Farmers' Congress in Sweden

When I look back at my almost 2 years of experience as Commissioner for Agriculture, I do not first think about legislation and strategies we drafted, or negotiations concluded.

I think about what matters the most, people.

I think about the farmers I met across Europe. Across all twenty-seven Member States.

I am no stranger to farming myself, you know that I was recently ploughing, in Ireland and in France.

I know firsthand the realities, of what it means to care for animals, or work the fields, to feed a family on that income and the worries this brings.

Yet, I still had a lot to learn about our differences.

You only truly understand the dimensions of European farming when you stand next to a farmer in Portugal or Spain who has spent their entire life working on the field that was just flushed away by flood or a greenhouse that was blown away by a violent storm. 

To listen to farmers in Hungary or Slovakia telling you about the anxiety caused by animal disease or rising input costs.

You understand it when a young person in Sweden tells you that becoming a farmer means choosing between having children or caring for animals.

But I have also many positive stories, people with passion for their land, animals and farming. Farmers engaging in biogas production, farmers testing new machinery and technologies. New crops like Avocados in Sicily.

We have lived through very challenging years, especially this one. 

It seems that our agenda is driven by crisis and uncertainty.

Even when we set the course of travel of our policy, external shocks come.

I cannot promise you much easier years ahead.

But in all this hardship, there was always light and there was dedication and we found solutions together. These tests have also shown that we have a resilient sector, able to adapt and continue delivering for Europe.

What is important is that we stay united, we preserve our common policy, while making sure we reap the benefits modernisation and innovation bring.