Brussels, 04/04/2011 (Agence Europe) - A transition period will enable milk and milk products producers to prepare for the end of milk quotas in 2015. According to the position taken on 4 April by the European Council of Young Farmers (CEJA), this measure is necessary in order to guarantee a soft landing in EU countries. CEJA's position was announced in response to the proposals by the European Commission (dating from December 2010) on the milk package.
The transition period should take the form of a gradual increase in the quota and a total phase-out of the super levy by 2013. CEJA believes that the Commission should adopt a more flexible approach to answer specific needs of member states. The Commission needs to respond where the values of quotas are increasing in member states during the period up to March 2015.
For the post-2015 period, CEJA considers that measures for combating extreme price volatility and guaranteeing more transparency in the food chain are needed.
Some of the market management tools advocated by CEJA include: - the creation of a European observatory of markets, volumes and market perspectives to provide the dairy chain and public authorities with objective information to answer to the future market situation; - and the creation of a European inter-profession in the dairy sector. The role of the inter-profession would include the management of extreme price volatility, communication and information. (L.C./transl.fl)