Brussels, 06/04/2016 (Agence Europe) - European Commission and member states have achieved some progress in implementing additional measures to help the milk/milk products, pork meat and fruit and vegetable sectors.
During the Agriculture Council on Monday 11 April in Luxembourg, Phil Hogan, the European Commissioner for Agriculture will examine implementation of the supplementary measures decided during the previous Council on 14 March (EUROPE 11511).
During the Special Committee on Agriculture (SCA) on Monday 4 April, the Commission indicated that it would present a proposal on Monday 11 April to double the intervention limit prices set 218 000 t for skimmed milk powder and 100,000 t for butter. The current limit for milk powder stands at 109,000 t and was reached on 1 April. Public purchases will therefore be made through tenders.
The ceiling on butter has not yet been reached.
The regulations for applying Article 222 of the Common Market Organisation (CMO) on the voluntary supply management agreements and its extension to cooperatives will enter into force in the middle of April. The implementing regulation will be adopted by the Commission on Tuesday, 12 April and published in the EU Official Journal the following day (EUROPE 11525). During the SCA, several delegations called for the provisions on supply management to be extended to the pork meat sector. The Commission has not yet proposed a date for the reintroduction of private storage aid for pork meat but is following the situation on the market closely (currently, carcass prices are 9% lower than in 2015). (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)