Brussels, 03/09/2015 (Agence Europe) - An increase in the intervention price in the milk sector, a system of regulating milk production, increasing pressure on Russia to re-open its market to pigmeat: these are a few of the suggestions put forward by the Bretagne region (France) ahead of the Agriculture Council that is to be devoted to the crisis in the farming sector on Monday 7 September.
Michel Morin, vice-president with responsibility for agriculture in the Bretagne region, visited Brussels on Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 September to set out the expectations of his region to the European Commission, the member states and MEPs before next week's Council meeting.
Milk crisis. Morin noted that, at the moment, global overproduction is running at 1%, which is “beyond what the market can absorb today”. France, Ireland, Germany and also Poland are contributing in part to this overproduction, as are other regions of the world.
Given this situation, Bretagne is calling, inter alia, for: - an increase in the intervention price (butter and skimmed milk powder) to 25 cents (as against 21 cents at present); - in the medium term, consideration to be given to a “system of regulation” for after milk quotas come to an end.
Pigmeat. Morin acknowledges that France has to bear part of the blame for the market problems, particularly through the profession's lack of organisation. He pointed out that the problems of overproduction are also the result of closure of the Russian market. The idea, then, is to bring pressure to bear on the European Commission to get Russia to lift its embargo on pork products. “We want the EU to become involved”, he said. He also called for a discussion on sanitary barriers (the issue of antibiotics, principally). There is a need, too, “to look at the issue of posted workers”. According to employee trade unions in France, in some abattoirs in Europe, the directive on exploitation of workers is being flouted. Morin argued that the way the directive is being implemented in the countries of the EU has to be assessed. Lastly a debate needs to take place on the labelling of the meats in processed foods. (Lionel Changeur)