Brussels, 26/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - Copa-Cogeca (agricultural unions and cooperatives in the EU) calls on the European agriculture ministers “to strengthen market management measures as part of the future common agricultural policy, with the aim of guaranteeing a balanced market for agricultural commodities”, according to a press release published on Monday 25 September (see EUROPE 10695).
European farmers and agricultural businesses, speaking through their secretary general, Pekka Pesonen, believe that it is “crucial that the market management measures enable producers to survive periods of low prices on the market and/or rapid rises in costs”.
Copa-Cogeca also calls for the strengthening and updating of security nets and market management measures as part of the Commission's proposals.
In Pesonen's opinion, “European markets are ever more closely linked to the world market, rather than to the period of European production”. Copa-Cogeca thus calls for “prolonging the intervention period for milk to the whole year and broadening private storage aid to products such as cheese, hemp, hops and dried fodder”. Pesonen also shares the ministers' concern regarding the difficulties on the dairy market in several member states, and asks for action to be taken.
In the wine sector “it is necessary to maintain plantation rights in order to keep a balanced market”, he says.
The “Commission's projects aiming to impose a limit on the use of biofuel products from agricultural crops also threaten European production of protein for animal consumption. In fact, only part of the oilseed, cereal and sugar beet crops used to produce biofuels is really converted into energy. Most remains in the animal food sector, the high protein by-products coming from biofuel production contributing to the reduction of strong EU dependence on imports of animal feed”, regrets Pesonen (our translation throughout).
Lastly, Copa-Cogeca criticises the Commission's proposals concerning the review of the system for less favoured areas (see other article). (LC/transl.fl)