The agricultural industry has met at the Congress of European Farmers in Greece this week to discuss ways to prevent future farm crises.
High-level speakers participating in the event, include the European Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan, European Parliament’s Agriculture and Rural Development Committee Chairman Adam Siekierski and NFU Scotland President Allan Bowie.
Mr Bowie said that by embracing innovation, the whole agricultural industry can grow and thrive.
Mr Bowie chaired a workshop on innovation and finance on the first day of the Copa Cogeca-organised conference.
The workshop looked at the innovation within agriculture and the supply chain and how this can better deliver sustainable prices with a profit that can be shared by all.
This workshop was one of the sessions at the Congress of European Farmers conference, taking place in Greece from 5 to 7 October, considering what needs to be done to create a better future for farmers and crofters.
Innovation 'is key'
Allan Bowie, NFU Scotland’s President said innovation is "key to all parts" of the farming, food and drink industry.
"Many times over it has been said that we could not produce enough food to feed the world population," Mr Bowie said.
"Time and time again farming has innovated and stepped up to the challenge.
"With a finite amount of land, a growing world population and the added pressure of being asked to use less resources while producing more, the need to innovate has never been greater.
"By getting farmers together from across the whole of Europe we have an opportunity to share our experiences and highlight the innovation that is being done.
"Farming today is so much more than dirty boots and simply planting a seed or rearing an animal.
"We need policies and initiatives that understand the complex factors that now go into food production and that will be needed if we are to provide for the food needs of a growing world population while addressing the challenges of combatting climate change, using natural resources sympathetically and ensuring that all in the food chain share the risk as well as the rewards."
'Farmers squeezed harder than ever'
Steps need to be taken to prevent farming crises caused by low market prices and high input costs from happening in the future, according to EU cooperative Copa.
"We are facing more and more challenges, seeing farmers being squeezed harder than ever by low market prices and high input costs," Copa President Martin Merrild said.
"The demanding consumer should be considered as a friend and not as a threat. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) must be aligned to reflect this.
"Consumers also need to be aware of the high production standards that we meet. Communication must be stepped up on this," he said.
"But it is important that cooperatives are innovative and develop products that are suited to consumer demands if they are to bring these rewards to their farmer members.
"We will also see how we can further develop smart farming and precision agriculture which enables producers to save on input costs and produce more efficiently," Cogeca President Thomas Magnusson said.
