2020 is coming to an end...
and it will undoubtedly be remembered as a year unlike any other. The COVID-19 health crisis forced us to rethink the way we work, communicate, travel and live, and its effects will be long lasting. Throughout this all, there has been one constant fact: we Europeans have been able to provide quality and safe food on our tables. Farm producers, and the agricultural sector as a whole, have tirelessly worked to achieve this basic yet fundamental need, proving their resilience and importance.
The agricultural machinery industry did not shy away from the challenge and went through great efforts to continue to serve its customers with machines and parts and support services to ensure the necessary maintenance while properly managing the impact of the pandemic on employees, production activities, supply chains, and the distribution channel. Even today, our equipment manufacturers, suppliers and distribution partners still face this impact.
2021 brings forward key policy challenges, starting with the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and the supporting National Strategic Plans, crucial to ensure continuous sound investments in the overall agricultural sector in Europe. In 2021, we will also see the Union implementing the objectives of the European Green Deal and the Farm to Fork and Biodiversity strategies, and continue to introduce the strictest environmental controls on the planet – from engine emissions to farm inputs. Looking further into the future, agriculture will have to deal with societal concerns related to GMOs and gene editing, but also with advanced technologies, such as AI or robotics, fields in which the agricultural machinery industry is very involved, proving its intrinsic innovative drive.
I would like to take this occasion to thank all the stakeholders with whom we have had the pleasure to collaborate this year, and to wish everyone a joyful holiday season and a healthy and prosperous 2021!
Yours truly,
Thierry Krier
