Brussels, 25/11/2011 (Agence Europe) - MEPs are calling for greater efficiency in the supply chain of goods needed for farming in order to reduce costs for farmers and the impact on the environment.
On Wednesday 23 November, the European Parliament's agriculture committee voted through by a large majority (30 to 1 with 2 abstentions) a report by José Bové (Greens/EFA) on the supply chain for farms. It will be voted upon in plenary in January or February 2012.
According to Eurostat, the cost of farm supplies like energy, pesticide, fertiliser, seed and animal feed for farmers in the European Union rose on average by nearly 40% between 2000 and 2010, compared with less than 25% for the prices changed by farmers for their output. The European Parliament's agriculture committee therefore recommends better use of available resources by seeking the best deals and increasing transparency on how farm input prices are calculated.
MEPs say that the market for farm supplies is highly concentrated with six companies controlling more than 75% of the market for chemical fertilisers and pesticides and three companies controlling more than 45% of the seed market. This concentration keeps seed prices high and the MEPs therefore want national anti-trust authorities and the EU competition authorities to deal with abuse of dominant positions on the market and also in the distribution and sales chain by ensuring strict application of EU competition rules.
Seed. The cost of seed has risen by 30% since 2000, partly due to the rising cost of certified seed and lower use of seed saved from the previous year's harvest at the farm, which is far cheaper and suits the characteristics of the region, explain the MEPs. They call on the European Commission to ensure that farmers are allowed to use seed saved from the harvest when next updating EU legislation on plant varieties and rights and also recommend a fair and balanced system of the rights to use plants and the current restrictions on the use of seeds farms save from the previous year's harvest.
In order to reduce the impact of climate change and improve the health of soil and water supplies, the committee recommends the introduction after 2013 of measures like crop diversification and rotation to help reduce farmers' spending on inputs.
The MEPs also want better irrigation systems and storage systems for water for use on farms. (LC/transl.fl)