The EU's partners in the grains, oilseeds and feed value chain called on the European Commission, on Wednesday 18 March, to take urgent action to avoid a disruption of food and feed supplies in Europe, in the context of the coronavirus restrictions.
COCERAL (European association of trade in cereals, rice, feedstuffs oilseeds, olive oil, oils and fats and agrosupply), FEDIOL (EU vegetable oil and protein meal industry association) and FEFAC (European Feed Manufacturers' Federation) state that they are taking all the actions required to avoid disruptions in the food and feed supply chain "so as to be able to continue supplying farmers, the food industry and feed processors with the agricultural raw materials and ingredients they need".
However, according to these organisations, the situation is critical because the more these restrictions persist, the more the risk of shortage for food companies is likely to materialise at any level of the food, feed and livestock chain, "thus challenging the European population access to regular supplies of food".
Animal feed as an essential good. That is why these organisations are calling for the inclusion of feed next to food in the list of essential goods mentioned in the European Commission's Guidelines on Border Management. Some Member States, like Spain, Italy and Belgium, have already included feed supplies on their list of essential goods, "but we need a harmonised approach at EU level".
In addition, these organisations call on European and national authorities to take swift action to ensure that all food and feed, even if not perishable, can be transported across the EU unhindered "as long as all required health safety measures are respected". Agricultural raw materials, although not perishable, are essential to the supply of farms and the food industry and, thus, the provision of animal health and welfare to farm animals and food to the European population.
At the same time, the decision to close the EU outside borders, that was taken in order to contain the spread of the virus, "should not apply to vessels bringing in the food & feed raw materials that are in short supply in the EU – again, as long as they take every necessary health measure to ensure the health of all actors in the food and feed supply chain", concluded COCERAL, FEFAC and FEDIOL. Link to the press release: http://bit.ly/2QojhMy (Original version in French by Lionel Changeur)