Brussels, 15/04/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Friday 12 April, COPA-COGECA warned of the disastrous situation facing the European beef sector.
The chair of the working group on the subject, Pierre Chevalier, said that the situation is difficult in the beef sector due to unfavourable climate conditions (late winter, heavy rain) in several European countries, which has made the supply of cattle feed problematic. “Winter feed availability is low and has almost run out. European beef producers are caught between high production costs and lower margins in a sector which has one of the lowest incomes in the agricultural sector”, he said.
Pekka Pesonen, the secretary general of COPA-COGECA, pointed out that European beef production is currently “highly fragile and no longer viable”. There is, he argues, a “major” risk of economic and social breakdown, given the low income returned on production. He also spoke out against the consequences of negotiations on bilateral agreements with third countries, which have raised major concerns among beef producers. Pesonen calls on the “political decision-makers to safeguard the European production of beef and preserve the future of the sector”. He argues that the economic and social impact on the beef sector should be taken into account in bilateral trade agreements.
Chevalier congratulated his Irish colleague, Henry Burns, on his election to the post of chair of the beef meat consultative group.
COPA-COGECA has a number of demands. It takes the view that support within the framework of the future CAP (common agriculture policy) should be more targeted and that production should be encouraged by means of a suckler cow premium. Market management measures, such as intervention, should also be improved, the organisation believes. The intervention price needs to be updated to take account of the higher input prices. Lastly, the organisation argues that farmers should be given a certain level of flexibility to allow them to produce feed on their own farms for their animals to ensure greater feed autonomy. (LC/transl.fl)