Regarding the increase in US tariffs on imports from the European Union, the CNA reiterates its long-standing critical stance on the paradigm of liberalized international trade, which subjects farmers and consumers to the interests of large corporations and the volatility of markets and economic policies. The negative effects on national production resulting from the application of these new tariffs are a clear example of this.

The impact on national exports of agro-forestry products, such as wine, olive oil, cork, and others, will have consequences for the flow of production. And while Family Agriculture mainly produces for the domestic market, small and medium-sized farmers will also be affected, notably by the increased circulation of products in the internal market.

In light of the situation, it is necessary to implement support measures for the most affected sectors, including market interventions to prevent price drops, thus avoiding further harm to farmers who are already suffering from low production prices. Alongside the diversification of export markets to overcome the constraints caused by US tariffs, the CNA argues that it is urgent to change the paradigm of total trade liberalization and the “produce for export” policy. The export-oriented approach by successive governments has not only failed to protect us from the harmful effects of market volatility but has also led to an outrageous dependency of Portugal on foreign agro-food products, resulting in an unsustainable deficit.

The CNA also warns that the immediate temptation to point to the proliferation of free trade agreements as a solution is merely repeating the same mistake that led us to the current situation.

The solution to the challenges at hand lies in reorienting agricultural policy towards the domestic market within a framework of Food Sovereignty, focusing on short agro-food circuits, through the creation and promotion of local fairs and markets, and supplying public cafeterias (schools, hospitals, etc.) with local produce from Family Agriculture.

The CNA also advocates for a thorough revision of the Common Agricultural Policy guidelines, which were crafted under the influence of the World Trade Organization and based on a presumption that limits the entire application of the policy, particularly in terms of linking subsidies to production and regulating the market and production.

The adoption of measures by the Portuguese government to mitigate the impacts of the new tariffs and the necessary alteration of national agricultural policy, with its reorientation towards the domestic market, must not depend on decisions made in Brussels.

It is important to note that in its recently published “Vision for Agriculture and Food,” the European Commission deliberately exposes EU agriculture to the mercy of free trade agreements, which will drive prices down and introduce factors of injustice into agricultural markets, presenting a new threat to farmers, especially small and medium-sized ones.

The CNA had the opportunity to convey its position in a meeting held this Monday (07 April) with the Minister of Agriculture and hopes that he and the new Government will put these measures into practice for the benefit of national production. Given the increasing frequency of crises, it is ever more urgent to build agricultural policies that meet the goals of Food Sovereignty, in line with the Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas, which, in Portugal, will be fulfilled with the implementation of the Family Agriculture Statute.

Portugal needs more small and medium-sized farmers, more Family Agriculture, and more national production, for the country’s Food Sovereignty!

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The CNA Board Coimbra, April 7, 2025