Brussels, 24/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 20 September, the leaders of the General Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives in the European Union (Cogeca) unanimously elected Christian Pèes from France as president of their organisation. Thomas Magnusson from Sweden and Maria Antonia Figueiredo from Portugal were elected as vice-presidents.
Pèes runs a cereals and pigmeat farm in south-west France. He is also president of Euralis, a world leading French grain cooperative. “It is of vital importance for all European agri-cooperatives that as we enter towards the final phase of the negotiations for the reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), we ensure a stronger role for agri-cooperatives in the future CAP. Strong agri-cooperatives are a prerequisite not only for a better functioning food chain, but also to defend the economic interests of European farmers as they strive to receive a fair share of the value created in the food chain”, Pèes commented. (LC/transl.fl)