Brussels, 10/12/2010 (Agence Europe) - EU member states' farm ministers will meet in Brussels on Monday 13 December to discuss changes to the common agricultural policy (CAP) and give their initial impressions of ideas mooted for the dairy industry and quality farm products (see related article for fisheries issues at the same Council meeting).
Over lunch, the ministers will discuss the definition of “active farmer”, an important issue because EU Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Cioloº suggests that EU farm aid should in future focus on active farmers.
Changes to the CAP. The Belgian federal farm minister, Sabine Laruelle, will urge her EU counterparts to discuss one of the aims of CAP reform, namely to achieve viable food production. The first discussion of the November Commission report on food, natural resources and the land took place at the 29 November Council meeting, where the report was welcomed by the vast majority of countries (see EUROPE 10266). Debate at technical level has revealed problems with the “greening” of some types of farm aid
(see EUROPE 10273).
The Hungarian Presidency of the Council of the EU will hold two policy debates (on the other two objectives identified by the Commission) on the report in January and February 2011. A Council conclusions document on the matter is expected in March 2011.
Milk. Dacian Cioloº will present the 9 December draft legislation on contracts for the dairy industry and dairy products (see EUROPE 10274). The Commission's proposals follow on from the Council Presidency's conclusions document on a report by a high-ranking group of experts on milk.
The commissioner will also present a report on dairy quotas and a quarterly report on the dairy products market.
'Quality package.' The Commission will unveil its 10 December proposals for improving and simplifying the quality of farm products policy (see related article). Since the 1990s, the quality of farm products in the EU has been connected with protected appellations of origin and geographical indications; organic farming; and guaranteed traditional specialities.
Pork. The Council will be briefed by the Belgian Presidency on the outcome of the “The pig meat sector towards 2020” day in Brussels on 3 December, where pork experts from the member states examined best practice with a view to extending it to the EU as a whole in the long-term. (L.C./transl.fl)