Brussels, 01/06/2016 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 1 June, World Milk Day, European farmers again called on the EU to renew efforts to bring an end to the crisis in the milk and dairy products sectors (see EUROPE 11562).
Copa-Cogeca expressed its support in a press release for use of Article 222 of the regulation on the common organisation of the market (CMO) but regretted the lack of financial incentives to compensate milk producers who agree to reduce their production. Like several EU countries, such as France, Spain and Ireland, the European farmers' and cooperatives' organisations do not want the agricultural crisis reserve to be touched. Copa-Cogeca also calls on the Commission to help find new markets for EU products and to introduce an export credits system. It also wants new instruments to tackle price volatility and measures to strengthen the producers' position on the food supply chain.
Elsewhere, in a joint statement, European and African farmers have called for politicians on both continents to “advocate for fair and responsible solutions to the milk market crisis”, the European Milk Board (EMB) announced in a press release. The statement calls on EU policy-makers to put in place a crisis instrument that addresses production volume. It also states that partnership agreements between the EU and West Africa should not be concluded at this point “because they would negatively affect our West-African partners”. (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)