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The Distress experienced by many Small Farmers

By Raúl Hernández González - originally posted to Flickr as Tractor y surcos, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10044904

In Europe, small farmers are often in a very difficult financial situation. Despite a painful work too many are stuck in a hole and cannot dig themselves out. In a word, they can no longer make a living from their farm. It is particularly striking in the case of France, one of the world's leading agricultural power. About 30% of these small farmers have revenues of less than € 360 per month (Fig.2015). And in this country, the rate of suicides among farmers is high. The situation of small farmers is also hard in a number of other European countries and especially in the UK. Of course, the international political tensions further aggravate the situation. That has been the case since 2014 with Russia's food-import ban which concerned most European countries. And today, with the uncertainties related to the Brexit which has raised numerous questions for British farmers. Indeed, some observers voiced alarm and say that "Brexit is a life or death matter for Britain's farmers" (The Telegraph). But the key problem is that the common agricultural policy of the EU (CAP) is no longer able to address the erratic price movements. The gap between the cost price and the market price becomes almost unsurmountable. And at each crisis period, the EU authorities open the purse strings and present a new package of measures to support farmers in the face of ongoing market difficulties. As a result, a rising number of farmers rely heavily on public subsidies. And this obviously increases their sense of unease and social marginalization. And yet, these men and women simply want to make a decent living from their work and production.

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