This week, 70 leaders from across Europe’s agri-food cooperative sector convened in Billund, Denmark, for the Cogeca Presidency Business Forum, an event focused on strengthening the role of cooperatives in building a competitive, resilient, and future-proof European agriculture.
Held under the Danish Presidency of the Council of the EU and as part of the United Nations International Year of Cooperatives, the Forum showcased unique experiences, from vertical integration in dairy and digital transformation to climate resilience and market strategy, demonstrating the diversity and adaptability of Europe’s cooperative movement.
Christian Hoegh-Andersen, Vice-President of Cogeca and Business Fora Coordinator highlighted the unique strength of the cooperative model in navigating global pressures, from geopolitical instability and shifting trade dynamics to climate change and complex regulations: “Cooperatives offer scale without sacrificing values, and they are vehicles for economic participation, social cohesion, and long-term thinking.”
Discussions and visits underscored the critical role of cooperatives in supporting young farmers, ensuring food security and answering farmers concrete problems by driving investment in innovation. This underlines the need for investment in the green and digital transitions to ensure that change is practical and beneficial for farmers and their communities.
Lennart Nilsson, Cogeca’s President, recalled that “developments in geopolitics and EU policies should not jeopardise a model that delivers on the 3 pillars of sustainability, and is designed to respond to farmers owners challenges”. He then emphasised the need for a stronger CAP, more budget, a continuous simplification, stronger risk management tools, aligned trade rules, a fair value distribution across the supply chain and a key recognition of the model by policy makers.
Fonte: Copa Cogeca
