Brussels, 14/07/2015 (Agence Europe) - Copa-Cogeca said after the Agriculture Council on the impact of the Russian embargo on EU agricultural products debate on Monday 13 July that the European Commission move to bring in new measures to support the dairy and fruit and vegetables sectors was “a step in the right direction” (see EUROPE 11358).
In a press release, Copa-Cogeca Secretary General Pekka Pesonen said that EU dairy, pigmeat and fruit and vegetable growers were suffering enormously as a result of the ban imposed by Russia. “The trade embargo from Russia - which farmers and cooperatives are the victims of - has cut approximately half, €5.5 billion, of our agri-food exports. We therefore welcome EU Farm Commissioner Phil Hogan's announcement at EU Farm Ministers meeting today to present this week a proposal to support fruit and vegetable growers in the wake of the Russian crisis. This will help to stabilise the market”, Pesonen said.
He also welcomed the announcement that public intervention and private storage measures in the EU dairy sector were to be extended. “But with producer prices well below production costs in many countries, the EU milk intervention price must be raised to take account of higher production costs”, Copa continues to argue. It also urges the Commission to bring forward direct payments before 1 December and to ensure that the 2014-2015 superlevy is returned to the dairy sector to help dairy farmers with their cash flow problems.
Pesonen calls on the EU, too, to intensify negotiations with Russia to get the restrictions imposed on EU pig meat exports in early 2014 lifted. “This would enable exports to Russia to resume for some products like edible offal and bacon which were not included in the global list of banned products resulting from the political dispute between the EU and Russia”, he argued. (Lionel Changeur)