The European agricultural machinery manufacturers association, CEMA is calling for a revision of European Union regulations that impose some automotive specific requirements on agricultural sector manufacturers.
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The call came during a EIMA 2016 conference held in Bologna, Italy, last week.
CEMA is seeking a new policy deal for the sector to strengthen the competitiveness of European manufacturers and promote technology take-up by farmers..
CEMA president Richard Markwell said European manufacturers can rightly claim world leadership for volume as well as innovations but with an annual machinery renewal rate of just 1.7 per cent, the continent’s machinery inventory is aging fast.
He said this was due to the decline in agricultural income and the small scale of farms working in the sector, and manufacturers having to grapple with EU requirements simply added to production costs.
Mr Markwell said a general ‘undervaluing’ of agricultural manufacturing, and fierce competition, weakened the segment.
He called for broader and long term EU policies specifically for the machinery manufacturing and the farming sector using the machines, to provide an incentive for farmers to invest in the latest generation of agricultural machinery.
