By Pauline Naterstad & Mia Mancini
On June 1st, hundreds of citizens, NGOs, and grassroots movements gathered at Place de l’Albertine in Brussels, urging politicians to improve farmers’ conditions, halt environmental rollbacks, and strengthen climate policies. The demonstration was organized by Good Food Good Farming (GFGF) and Climate Action Network Europe (CAN Europe), uniting environmental and agrifood movements ahead of the EU elections. Report by Pauline Naterstad and Mia Mancini.
The demonstration in Brussels was a major highlight in Good Food Good Farming’s months-long campaign to mobilize to keep food and farming on the agenda in the EU Elections on June 6-9. Since January this year, GFGF representatives from 27 EU countries have hosted events including film screenings, panel discussions and farm visits to raise awareness about the huge influence European politics have on our food and farming systems and the critical nature of the elections.
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The #VoteFutureEU flags were featured prominently in these events, with diverse demands for the future EU mandate. At the demonstration, the flags were sown together and held up as a huge banner, symbolizing that despite diverse national challenges, the GFGF movement stand together for a future of systemic change.
The world’s leading scientists warn that our current options to mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis are becoming unviable in the face of escalating global warming. Hugues Falys, the Belgian farmer involved in a climate litigation case against oil giant TotalEnergies adds the importance of working against global warming for our food systems, “As farmers, we are directly impacted by climate change, which is creating major damage to our farms and generates great uncertainty for the future. It’s time to hold major polluters accountable.”
While demanding greater climate, nature, and environmental accountability, the demonstrators emphasize the paramount importance of ensuring real support and decent livelihoods for farmers. “Only by joining social and environmental concerns into one movement, will we be able to tackle the crises we are facing and ensure just futures for all” says Mia Mancini from Good Food Good Farming.
As a demonstration merging environmental and agrifood movements, the Good Food Good Farming, Landbouwbrigades Belgium and Brigades d’actions paysannes organized a dedicated farmers’ space. It featured a mural showcasing farmers’ portraits from the GFGF movement and displays of harvests. Participating farmers told their stories and struggles, highlighting the urgent need for adequate support for farmers.
The stage program featured ten speakers covering a range of topics, including fossil fuel reduction, nature restoration, and recent changes to the Common Agricultural Policy and the Nature Restoration Law.
Marilda Dhaskali from BirdLife highlighted the interconnectedness of the crises: “Without nature, there are no farmers, and without farmers, there is no food. The Nature Restoration Law is a first tangible step to reverse the nature and climate crises. To build a truly resilient future for the generations to come, it’s absolutely critical for EU Member States to finally make this law a reality.”
With a stunt from the Red Brigades signaling the need for action, a Disco Salad organized by Slow Food and a huge banner by Natuurpunt that says ‘Nature in the Heart’, the demonstrators and its organizers displayed the need for unity across movements, all fighting for a better future for generations to come.
The action was the result of a collaboration between over 60 Belgian and EU civil society organizations coordinated by Good Food Good Farming and CAN Europe. Moreover, representatives from coalitions working on food and agriculture from Spain, Belgium, Germany, Malta, Poland, Slovenia, Greece and France joined the action to show their support from the national level.
More pictures and videos of the Good Food Good Farming & CAN Europe demonstration are available on the GFGF website. To stay tuned and receive invitations to join future events, we recommend signing up for the Food for Change newsletter.
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