The EU’s new Vision for Agriculture and Food must ensure that farmers are not forced to sell their products at prices that do not cover their production costs, according to the European Milk Board (EMB).

EMB president, Kjartan Poulsen has recognised that the European Commission's vision addresses important points, but believes the vision "cannot exist in a vacuum and must be accompanied by specific measures and reforms".

“The EU needs us farmers, but it is only with the right conditions that we can sustainably continue to supply our citizens with sufficient, high-quality foodstuffs,” he said.

The EMB has welcomed parts of the vision, and said it is "especially positive that it states the objective of an agriculture sector with quality foodstuffs and fair working conditions".

However, it believes the vision must be accompanied by ambitious implementation, to offer real solutions for farmers who are in a fragile position in the value chain.

The EMB believes that the current orientation towards exports and deregulation must be significantly reduced, and it must make way for a strategy that gives due consideration to internal production and EU producers.

According to the EMB, the income of farmers is still significantly below the average income in other economic sectors.

The board said farmers must receive a better income from the market, so that they can make necessary investments on their farms.

It said that "practices where farmers are systematically forced to sell below costs will not be tolerated".

The EMB also believes that compulsory contracts between farmers and producers, which were proposed by the commission last year, must include a clause that guarantees prices are higher than production costs.

The EMB wants environmental services provided by farmers to be appropriately remunerated by the market, so that their costs will be compensated, including an appropriate profit margin.

According to the EMB, EU standards should not be "watered down by imports".

The board also wants mirror clauses to be introduced and enforced, and said that agricultural products should not be included in free trade agreements.

"The commission needs to be much more ambitious on this front. They must significantly reign in the current export orientation to stabilise internal production and do right by EU farmers," the EMB said.

Finally, the EMB wants the Agrifood Chain Observatory to actively contribute to cost transparency in the food chain.