Horsens, 05/06/2012 (Agence Europe) - During their informal meeting in Horsens, European agriculture ministers held a debate on Tuesday 5 June on how to give the European Union an environmentally-friendly economy. The delegations agreed that “green” growth and agriculture are two associated components.
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and WWF were invited to the discussion table and warned especially of the challenges facing agriculture (pollution, climate change), while the Unilever group spoke of the type of initiative it is developing to reconcile growth in turnover while leaving less of an environmental footprint. According to the representatives of these organisations, the common agricultural policy (CAP) must form part of the solution to the challenges that are being faced: ways must be found to produce while having a lesser effect on the environment and climate.
Danish minister Mette Gjerskov said that action had to be begun now if the CAP was to be part of the solution and not part of the problem of environmental challenges. She acknowledged that ministers had doubts over farmers' ability to meet the objectives set and said that help had to be given.
Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos suggested that green growth is central to the concerns of political circles in Europe and lies at the heart of what the CAP wants to do. Demand in food is rising, in terms of quantity, quality and diversity, the commissioner said. “We need to produce more and better and to better manage natural resources”, he said.
The United Kingdom said that CAP reform must bring a reduction in aid from the first pillar (direct aid and market spending) and should focus mainly on the second pillar (rural development). Germany raised the problem of the food chain: how can we claim to have sustainable agriculture (environmentally, economically and socially acceptable), if, at the same time, there is imbalance in the food chain?
Several countries broached the issue of imports. The EU is increasingly becoming isolated since the rest of the world does not apply such stringent standards, warned Italy, Spain, France and Belgium. These countries argued that it is impossible to constantly demand that farmers comply with ever tougher criteria while calling for the maintenance of income support for farmers. The Danish delegation, on the other hand, took the view that the EU must seek higher and higher standards as that will allow it to “shine” through its insistence on quality.
France stressed the balance that must be maintained between the first and second pillars of the CAP, and pointed out that first pillar aid (income support) is a way of combating price volatility.
Italy once again highlighted the importance of indicating where products come from. There can be no competitiveness if quality is not given any recognition, Italian minister Mario Catania said.
Germany was insistent, however, that the consumer cannot be the sole driver for funding high Community standards.
Ireland suggested that Europe cannot ignore the rest of the world and that the EU must not simply develop a niche market, but form part of the global whole (for example, by rebalancing the position of farmers against that of industry). (LC/transl.rt)