Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    Twitter LinkedIn
    • FREE Email Newsletters
    • About Us
    • Advertise
    • Subscribe
    • Contact Us
    Twitter LinkedIn
    Podcast
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    • News
      • Arable & Agronomy
      • Dealership News
      • Environmental Land Management Scheme/Policy
      • Event News
      • Health & Safety
      • Machinery
      • People
      • World News
    • Farm Machinery
      • Amenity & Maintenance
      • Cultivations
      • Drilling
      • Grassland Equipment
      • Harvesting
      • Muck & Slurry
      • Sprayers
      • Telehandlers
      • Tractors
      • Tractor of the Year
      • Tyres & Tracks
      • Whatever happened to?
    • Precision Farming
    • Markets & Policy
    • Profiles
      • National Arable and Grassland Awards
      • Company Profiles
      • Reader Profiles
    • Livestock
      • Beef
      • Dairy
      • Sheep
    • Magazines
      1. August 2025 issue
      2. 2025 Drills and Seeds supplement
      3. July 2025 issue
      4. June 2025 issue
      5. Cereals event guide 2025
      6. May 2025 issue
      7. April 2025 issue
      8. March 2025 issue
      9. 2025 Tyre Developments supplement
      10. February 2025 issue
      11. National Arable and Grassland Awards supplement
      12. January 2025 issue
      13. December 2024 issue
      14. November 2024 issue
      15. October 2024 issue
      16. September 2024 issue
      17. August 2024 Issue
      18. 2024 Drills and Seeds supplement
      19. July 2024 Issue
      20. Cereals Supplement
      21. June 2024 Issue
      22. May 2024 Issue
      23. April 2024 Issue
      24. Tyres and Tracks Supplement
      25. March 2024 Issue
      26. National Arable & Grassland Award – Meet the Finalists
      27. February 2024 Issue
      28. January 2024 Issue
      29. December 2023
      30. Agritechnica Preview Supplement
      31. November 2023
      32. October 2023
      Featured

      August 2025 issue available now

      By Matthew TiltAugust 1, 2025
      Recent

      August 2025 issue available now

      August 1, 2025

      2025 Drills and Seeds supplement available now

      August 1, 2025

      July 2025 issue available now

      July 9, 2025
    • Events
    • Podcast
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer
    Machinery

    CEMA President Richard Markwell calls for EU policies to be improved to increase farmer uptake of precision agriculture and digital technology

    chrislyddonBy chrislyddonOctober 17, 20163 Mins Read
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email

    In his role as President of the European Agricultural Machinery Association (CEMA), Richard Markwell of Massey Ferguson, a worldwide brand of AGCO, is encouraging European Common Agricultural Policy reform to focus on innovation and include measures and incentives to help farmers invest in digital technology and equipment.

    The Vice President and Managing Director Europe/Africa/Middle East of leading farm machinery brand, Massey Ferguson, has recently been re-elected to a second two-year term of office at CEMA and was invited to present the Association’s latest policy paper at the annual Congress of European Farmers in Athens.

    “The next rounds of CAP reform and similar EU finance schemes should favour investment in precision farming and connected tools/services as the solution to both efficient, competitive European agriculture and to ‘green’ farming,” Mr Markwell told Congress delegates.

    “Such an approach would be much more intelligent for the farming sector in the context of the EU’s environmental targets than the automobile-driven programmes focusing solely on engine emissions. At the same time, it would bring true added value for farmers themselves.”

    “EU legislation governing EU farm equipment needs to be differentiated from legislation on automobiles as it frequently generates inappropriately huge costs for our industry for little added value and thus reduces the competitiveness of farmers in the EU,” he underlined.

    “Our role at CEMA is to help farmers produce more food, using less labour, with less land, in a sustainable manner at affordable prices,” Mr Markwell stated. “Precision agriculture helps farmers to do this by optimising their input use and maximising their productivity, whilst minimising the impact on the environment. But with less than 25% of farmers in Europe using any form of precision farming, uptake must be increased.”

    “In addition, research and development needs to be stepped up to encourage private partnerships to work together on innovative technology and equipment. The EU must work closer with organisations like CEMA to ensure that we have the right equipment, meeting the right standards of environmental protection and security, to ensure a profitable agriculture sector which farmers are able to invest in,” he emphasised.

    The Congress of European Farmers was organised by Copa-Cogeca, the European Association of Farmers and Contractors. Among the 500 attendees was Phil Hogan, EU Commissioner for Agriculture together with key members of the EU Commission and Alan Jagoe, President of the European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA).

    CEMA is the voice of the European agricultural machinery industry which includes 4,500 manufacturers of agricultural equipment and generates a total turnover of EUR 26 billion. It provides employment for 135,000 people directly in the sector and another 125,000 persons indirectly in the distribution and service network.

    Tweet
    Share
    Share
    Pin
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email
    Previous ArticleCopa & Cogeca welcome results from EU Sheep Reflections Forum on future of the sector
    Next Article Sales of veterinary antibiotics continue to decline in most European countries
    chrislyddon

    Read Similar Stories

    Krone announces new generation of digital cameras to improve safety during operation

    August 27, 2025

    New Fendt saves on fuel

    August 20, 2025

    Weidemann develops user-friendly app

    August 12, 2025
    Most Read Stories

    Low carbon fertiliser launched

    August 27, 2025

    Krone announces new generation of digital cameras to improve safety during operation

    August 27, 2025

    Mitas becomes general partner to World Ploughing Championships

    August 27, 2025
    Farm Contractor & Large Scale Farmer

    The UK's leading agricultural machinery journal

    Twitter LinkedIn
    © 2024 MA Agriculture Ltd, a Mark Allen Group company

    Privacy Policy | Cookies Policy | Terms & Conditions

    • Farmers Weekly
    • AA Farmer
    • Poultry News
    • Pig World

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.