BUDAPEST — Earlier this week, NFU President Rob Larew participated in the 2022 General Assembly of the World Farmers’ Organisation (WFO) in Budapest, Hungary. The WFO General Assembly convened farmers’ leaders from all over the world, representatives of international organizations, governments, and the private sector. During the course of the three-day event, attendees met to share and exchange visions and ideas on challenges and opportunities for the agricultural sector at the global level.

Larew was a panelist for a discussion of the sustainability of the livestock sector and how farmers and ranchers can contribute to climate solutions.

“It’s been said, ‘If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.’,” Larew said. “In the case of livestock production and climate policy, if farmers and ranchers are not at the table, we’re off the menu. Now is the time to engage and consider the ways that livestock agriculture can be a participant in the global effort against climate change.”

Larew also brought the message of NFU’s Fairness for Farmers campaign to the global stage, garnering a ringing endorsement of the effort to combat corporate monopolies in agriculture from President Theo de Jager of South Africa.

“Farmers and ranchers around the world have many different methods of production, crops, and perspectives. There are shared struggles, however, and monopolization of our markets is a problem everywhere,” Larew said. “I am glad to share the message NFU has amplified in the U.S. through the Fairness for Farmers campaign and hope that we can work with our friends around the world to ensure farmers and ranchers have the ability to thrive.”

NFU’s Fairness for Farmers campaign has brought the devastating impact of monopolies on family agriculture into the national, and now international, spotlight. Campaign priorities include addressing issues such as increased transparency and market competition, enforcement of competition laws, excessive costs for fertilizer, supply chain vulnerabilities, and increased farm equipment costs.

–National Farmers Union