CEMA Welcomes Draft Declaration Supporting Technology Uptake in EU Farming

The European Agricultural Machinery Industry supports a commitment from the Member States of the European Union to encourage technology uptake in farming.

‘A smart and sustainable digital future for European agriculture and rural areas’ is the title of the Draft Declaration presented by the European Commission to the Council’s Special Committee on Agriculture. 

The European Agricultural Machinery Industry strongly supports a clear commitment from the 28 Member States of the European Union to encourage a further technology uptake into European Farming and promote precision & digital farming technologies into the Future CAP 2020. 

On this, CEMA President Anthony Van der Ley comments, “Over the years our industry has been at the forefront of this technology revolution. Providing European farmers with the right working tools & latest digital technology can definitely help in addressing environmental challenges, improving farming practices and sustaining economic benefits for farmers’ businesses.” 

Farming technologies together with the growing potential of Artificial Intelligence, 5G or upcoming robotics are some of the key elements that can transform farming and enable better decision making. “The uptake of digital technologies has a positive impact on farmers’ quality of life but also on the way they run farms’ operations. Digital technologies should be available to farmers and farms of all size and may help attract younger generations, which remains one of the main social concerns affecting this sector today,” points out Jerome Bandry, CEMA Secretary General. 

Digital technologies can be applied from seeding to harvesting as well as in livestock management, activity where they are currently most adopted. “However, to unleash their full potential some challenges need to be tackled: promoting digital skills trainings, ensuring a reliable broadband network or supporting strategic investments in new technologies need to be part of European public policies, such as the CAP or Research, to make digital farming a reality,” concludes Van der Ley. 

CEMA calls on EU Member States to endorse this Declaration and urges policy-makers to set-up concrete actions in the near future for the benefit & support of Agriculture in Europe. 

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