European Sugar Reform: The Unknown Victims
Our European contractor’s umbrella organisation, CEETTAR, is being very vocal on our behalf regarding the sugar reforms.
It is quite rightly claiming, in press releases sent across Europe, that agricultural contractors have been forgotten by the reform of the sugar sector. It estimates that tens of thousands of jobs are threatened and that thousands of agricultural service companies will be pushed to bankruptcy in the wake of the proposed reform.
CEETTAR, which represents nearly 100,000 contracting companies in rural areas in 13 country of the EU, has reminded the Commission that in some countries 70% to 90% of work in the sugar sector is carried out by contractors. However, it is only the farmers, the sugar beet producers, as well as the factories, who will benefit from the compensation proposed by the Commission.
CEETTAR is lobbying the Commission, urging it in making final decisions, not to forget the contractors and to provide them with financial assistance if withdrawing from the business.
The NAAC will be supporting CEETTAR in its response to the Defra consultation on the Commission’s proposals.