The EU is pricing small Eastern European farms out of existence
The policy designed to bring Eastern European farmers into the European market will force most of them to sell their farms.
What happened
Countries in the Western Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine want to join the European Union. This means their livestock farmers, especially small ones, will have to meet strict EU rules for animal health, welfare, and environmental protection.
Why it matters
The European Union is opening its doors to Eastern European agriculture, provided those farmers can afford to rebuild their entire operations to Brussels' standards. They can't. The result is a quiet, state-sponsored consolidation of the livestock industry, packaged as an animal welfare upgrade.
The signal
Agricultural rule changes put people to sleep unless they raise pigs. That changes when rural unemployment spikes in candidate countries. Smallholders will default on the transition costs over the next 24 months. Corporate conglomerates will step in to buy up their WBMU market share and land. EU meat producers with dominant market share will lobby to block the proposed flexible hygiene standards to keep lower-priced Eastern European imports out.
Small farms in Eastern Europe must now meet European Union animal welfare rules to maintain market access. Their livestock now legally requires a higher standard of living than the farmers.