Brussels, 04/03/2015 (Agence Europe) - The cost of ensuring that European farms comply with environmental, animal welfare and food safety legislation varies from one country to another and from one sector to another, a report produced for the European Commission and published on Tuesday 3 March has found.
The study, carried out by the Centro Ricerche Produzioni Animali (CRPA), is based on the 2010 legislation.
Nine agricultural activities were examined. Only in pig and poultry farming are costs of complying with the legislation in the above-mentioned areas higher than 5%, reaching up to 10%, of production costs.
For pig meat, the costs equate to 3-4% of production costs in Denmark and the Netherlands. In Poland, however, they are 8%, and in Germany 9% (compared with 3% in Brazil).
Costs in the poultry sector of complying with environmental, animal welfare and food safety rules are up to more than 5% in Italy (compared with 1.4% in Germany).
For the other animal production studied - milk, beef and veal, and sheep meat - costs represent only 2-3% of total costs, according to the report.
Compliance costs in the milk sector vary from1% to 1.5%, with two exceptions: the Netherlands 3% and Poland, less than 1%.
Costs for beef and veal vary between 0.5% and 3%. Costs are highest in Italy, while, in France and the United Kingdom, the impact is less than 1.2%.
For sheep meat, the costs go from 0.5% in France to 3.5% in the United Kingdom.
The study also analyses costs for crops such as wheat (2-3.4%), apples (between 2% and 3%) and vineyards (2-4% in France, Spain and Italy). (Lionel Changeur)