Brussels, 20/04/2012 (Agence Europe) - EU Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos explained to journalists that he has great faith in the potential of local food supplies because they are a modern way of looking at our relationship to food and a modern way of looking at the economic competitiveness of European agriculture and its social and environmental efficiency - and the Commission will be publishing legislation, where necessary, to reinforce this approach.
At a conference in Brussels on Friday 20 April on local farming and local food supplies, the commissioner said that the sale of food grown locally reduced food miles and helped rural and local economies, enabling consumers to boost the economy of their locality.
Sourcing food supplies locally has been ignored for a long time, but the figures available show that despite not receiving aid or official recognition, some 15% of farms in the EU sell more than half their produce locally via farm shops, restaurants, other direct sales or to local markets and supermarkets.
Ciolos admitted at the conference that this way of selling farm produce is not yet properly integrated into public policy, or the common agricultural policy, but it was important not to create new barriers or play off large against small, local supplies against food grown in other parts of the world.
The commissioner said that the conference had given him an opportunity to talk about ways of helping farmers develop local food supply chains; to see whether planned changes to the CAP went far enough or whether specific legislation should be drawn up; how balance could be struck between the aim of providing safe, high-quality food in Europe and the application of food safety rules to ensure that the growth of local food supply routes is not curtailed and red tape does not hamper the growth of local farming.
There are many benefits to local food supplies. From the business vantage-point, the farmer receives a higher proportion of the value-added; from the social viewpoint, there are more farmers in business who are connected with their local community, which will help maintain European food culture; and in terms of the environment, local supply routes have a lower carbon footprint and use less fuel. Ciolos said that this didn't mean that absolutely all food in Europe could be supplied locally, but there is huge demand for local products and increasing numbers of farmers are moving in this direction, which is why the Commission wanted to discuss the matter.
Many questions are raised - How can local supplies be identified in a credible and visible manner. How can irreproachable health and safety be provided without discouraging small businesses from setting up, which don't have the investment capacities of big supermarket chains? How can big cities be connected up with local food suppliers? How can farmers be encouraged to invest? (LC/transl.fl)