Brussels, 21/11/2013 (Agence Europe) - “Let us promote our agriculture and our food products throughout the world”, said Dacian Ciolos, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development. He went on to say (our translation throughout):
“More and more consumers want good quality, healthy food and are sensitive to the sustainability of production methods used. European agriculture provides concrete answers to such concerns with unparalleled standards for all of its products, and with product quality sub-labels that go further than requirements set.
This model, which is unique of its kind in the world, deserves to be better explained, better known and appreciated. It is necessary to heighten awareness of the efforts being made by producers and of the richness of our territories, in Europe and also in the world. That is the essence of the proposal being made by the European Commission, which aims to strengthen the policy for promoting agricultural and agri-food products.
We are not seeking, alone, to feed the world. There is no doubt that the development of local channels must be supported to combat food supply insecurity - food security in developing countries requires local solutions. But in complementary fashion, we can contribute to increasing global food demand by giving more value to the specific nature of European products, and by turning towards quality rather than quantity.
In an open world, where commercial trade and cultural exchanges are increasing, the European agricultural and agri-food model holds a very strong hand. The new promotion policy will help farmers and the small and medium-sized enterprises that have limited means, to break through onto the international scene, to take that stride forward. At European level, it should allow the knowledge of quality labels to be increased and to give Europeans a better knowledge of the highly demanding production standards that are required of EU producers.
This policy should, on the basis of a clear, well targeted strategy, make specialised skills available for professionals in the field of promotion, call on those with an expert knowledge of high potential markets, and share best practices for marketing and sales - services to which small structures do not have access on their own. This role will partly, in time, be entrusted to an executive agency that will be able to become a true centre of proficiency and skill in that field, in close coordination with the Commission's services.
Far from being an alternative to action conducted by the member states and by the professionals themselves, that instrument will be a complement to that action and will make it possible to develop a new ambition for our agricultural and agri-food sector, not only on the European market but also on the world markets. We must help the professionals, also, to seize all the opportunities available to them, mainly through commercial agreements, either ongoing or forthcoming, that open up new opportunities.”